"The facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this trust litigation," Reiner's petition, obtained by PEOPLE, asserts
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NEED TO KNOW
- In a probate petition obtained by PEOPLE, Nick Reiner is demanding access to a $1.5 million trust fund established by his parents to help pay for his legal defense and basic necessities while incarcerated
- The petition alleges that the fund’s trustee is withholding funds over concerns over Nick’s ability to manage the trust
- Nick currently faces two murder charges in connection with the deaths of his parents, director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner
Nick Reiner, who is accused of murdering his parents Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner in December 2025, has filed a petition in California court requesting money from a trust fund established in his name.
"Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths," the probate petition filed on Monday, June 8 and obtained by PEOPLE states. "But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation."
According to the petition, Nick's parents previously established a "smaller, separate trust for his individual benefit" — referred to in the petition as "Nick's Trust" — as they did for their two other children, Jake and Romy.
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In addition to their three biological children, Rob also adopted his first wife Penny Marshall's daughter, Tracy.
The petition claims that one-half of the trust was required to be distributed to Nick "outright when he turned 30" and the remainder would be given to him when he turned 35.
Nick — who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with his parents' deaths and has since pleaded not guilty — is 32 years old.
The petition claims that Nick has not yet received the mandatory distribution he should have received at age 30, and that he has not been informed of the total amount in the trust, which the petition claims is in excess of $1.5 million.
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The petition alleges that "months of repeated inquiries" to the current trustee have "offered a shifting series of excuses and justifications," including "unsubstantiated 'concerns' about Nick's so-called competence to 'manage a trust.' "
It further demands that the first half of the trust payment be released to Nick so that he can cover legal expenses and fund his commissary account "so that he can buy basic support items while incarcerated (e.g., socks and personal hygiene items like soap) within the low spending limits imposed by the jail."
"These distributions are non-discretionary," the petition claims. "The trust does not authorize the Trustee to condition these distribution points on any subjective assessment by the Trustee as to Nick's intended use of those funds."
It also claims that because the trust is "irrevocable," the trustee is not authorized to withhold funds from a beneficiary who is deemed to be incompetent, only that the trustee may "modify the manner of distribution to an incompetent beneficiary."
It further asserts that "there is no judicial declaration that Nick is incompetent, nor has he been determined to lack capacity by the written statement of two licensed physicians," and that the trustee's assertion that he has "concerns" regarding Nick's capacity to manage the trust is "insufficient."
Given Nick's "present circumstances," the petition claims it is an "abuse of the Trustee's discretion to refuse those requests" as no "use of his funds could be more important."
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"The stakes for Nick could not be higher," the petition claims, noting that he has been unable to pay for the "basic necessities while incarcerated" or pay for legal counsel.
The petition notes that Nick was initially represented by Alan Jackson, who, it claims, was "forced to withdraw because the anticipated funding did not materialize." He is currently represented by a public defender named Kimberly Greene.
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In a declaration filed with the motion, Jackson said that he is "committed to representing" Nick and "willing to consider reasonable alternatives to the original fee arrangement."
PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Jackson and the Reiner family for comment.
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