Court denies Nick Reiner access to family trust for legal expenses during trial over parents’ murders

Nick Reiner has not been allowed to use his $1.5 million fund to pay legal defense costs and make purchases from the prison canteen.

In documents filed in court this week, the fund’s administrator argued that California’s “slayer statute” bars Nick, who is accused of murdering his parents, Rob and Michelle Rayner, from inheriting the money.

Justia Law explains that the statute prevents “a person who feloniously and intentionally kills the decedent” from receiving “property, rights or benefits under the decedent’s will or a trust created by or for the benefit of the decedent.”

In this case, Nick’s share will pass to his sister and brother, Romy and Jake Reiner.

The administrator’s spokesperson clarified that although Nick is presumed innocent until his murder trial takes place, providing him with the money at this stage would constitute an “irreversible” action.

The request to use the $1.5 million fund for legal expenses was filed by Nick, 32, in June as he faces murder charges.

In his petition, the screenwriter of the film “Being Charlie” stated that half of the trust fund was supposed to be given to him when he turned 30 in 2023, while the remainder was to be released when he reached the age of 35 in 2028.

Nick, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, claimed in the petition that the administrator could not block a beneficiary’s funds, even when the beneficiary is deemed incapacitated, because the trust is “irrevocable.”

Rob and Michelle were found fatally stabbed in their home in Brentwood, California, in December last year. Nick, their youngest son, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with their deaths. In February, the screenwriter pleaded not guilty to the charges.

If convicted, Nick faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.