Fate of Nick Reiner's access to trust fund to be decided by mediator
The fate of whether Nick Reiner will have access to money in a trust fund will be decided by a mediator.
Nick Reiner, 32, is charged with two counts of murder in the killings of his parents, Rob, 78, and Michele, 70. The couple was found stabbed to death inside their Brentwood home on Dec. 14 by their daughter, Romy Reiner, according to multiple sources.
During a hearing on Friday morning, Reiner's public defender and attorney for the trust agreed to go into mediation in mid-December. A judge will have to approve the terms of their settlement.
Reiner's civil attorneys filed a petition in June 2026 asking the court to allow him access to money in a trust established for him by his parents. The filing claims the trustees overseeing the funds have denied him access without legal justification, and he needs and should get it now.
Reiner initially retained high-profile private lawyer Alan Jackson to represent him, but less than a month later, Jackson left the case for reasons he said he couldn't share. The filing revealed that Reiner's siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Jackson, but reversed course.
The petition says that apart from the larger Reiner family trust, which is not at issue, Rob and Michele Reiner established smaller individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings. It says they left "unambiguous instructions" in Nick Reiner's trust, established in 1993, that he was to receive half its money when he turned 30 and the rest at 35.
Reiner's attorneys say that the money he receives will be used to rehire Jackson.
The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but that attorneys for the trust have not shared the exact amount of its value.
Attorneys for the trust argue Reiner is restricted from accessing money in the fund due to California's Slayer Statute, which blocks people who are convicted of killing a decedent from receiving inheritance claims. Reiner's attorneys say he hasn't been convicted and is owed the money.
The couple married in 1989 and had three children together: sons Nick and Jake and daughter Romy.
Rob Reiner rose to fame for his role as Archie Bunker's son-in-law, Michael Stivic, better known as "Meathead" on CBS' "All in the Family." He won two Emmy Awards for the role.
He also made a name for himself in the film world, directing some of Hollywood's biggest movies such as "The Princess Bride," "When Harry Met Sally…," "A Few Good Men," "Stand by Me" and "This is Spinal Tap."
Michele Reiner was a successful photographer who took the photo of President Trump used on the cover of his book "The Art of the Deal," according to Variety.
