Nick Reiner Blocked From $1.5M Trust Fund by California Slayer Statute

Nick Reiner, 32, is currently blocked from accessing a $1.5 million trust fund while facing charges for the December 2025 murders of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, in their Brentwood home. A professional fiduciary is invoking California’s “slayer statute” to prevent the distribution of funds, according to court filings obtained by The New York Times.

The legal battle over the trust highlights a collision between the presumption of innocence and California’s strict inheritance laws.

The Slayer Statute and the Freeze on Trust Distributions

The professional fiduciary overseeing the fund, Jodi Pais Montgomery, has opposed Reiner’s request to access the money. Her lawyer, Lauriann Wright, cited the “slayer statute” in court filings, noting that California law prohibits any person who “feloniously and intentionally kills the decedent” from inheriting property or benefits from a will or trust created by that person, according to The New York Times. Wright argued that releasing the funds now would be “irreversible,” adding that California provides no exception allowing a killer’s inheritance to be used for criminal defense costs.

Under this statute, the funds would instead be transferred to Nick’s siblings, Romy and Jake Reiner. While Reiner is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, the fiduciary is treating the potential conviction as a trigger for the forfeiture of the assets. This creates a paradoxical legal vacuum: the defendant needs the funds to prove his innocence, but the law may block those funds based on the accusation of the crime itself.

Reiner’s Petition for Legal Fees and Basic Needs

In a probate petition filed in June, Reiner claimed he was entitled to a non-discretionary distribution of the trust. According to the petition obtained by Page Six, Reiner was supposed to receive half of the trust outright upon turning 30 in 2023, with the remainder due at age 35. He alleges that the current trustee has offered a “shifting series of excuses,” including unsubstantiated concerns regarding his competence to manage the funds.

Reiner, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, argues that because the trust is “irrevocable,” the trustee cannot withhold funds based on a subjective assessment of competence. His legal team is requesting the first half of the payment to rehire attorney Alan Jackson and to fund a commissary account for “basic support items” such as soap and socks while he remains incarcerated in Los Angeles, according to the Page Six report.

The financial instability of the defense is already evident. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Alan Jackson was forced to withdraw from the case in January because funds were not made available from the Reiner family trusts. Consequently, Reiner has been represented by a public defender.

The Defense Argument Against the Fiduciary

Anita P. Wu, an attorney representing Nick Reiner, has rejected the application of the slayer statute at this stage of the proceedings. In a statement to The New York Times, Wu asserted that the statute “requires a determination, not a mere accusation,” emphasizing that Reiner has not been convicted of any crime. This dispute centers on whether the “determination” required by the law must be a final criminal conviction or if a fiduciary can act on an indictment to protect the assets of the estate.

Timeline of the Reiner Case and Next Steps

The tragedy began in December 2025, when Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood residence. Nick Reiner was subsequently indicted and pleaded not guilty to the initial murder charges in February, as well as to additional charges added in August, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The case now moves toward a critical juncture in the California court system. Reiner’s next scheduled court appearance is set for September 15.

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