Nick Reiner is fighting for money amid his legal battle!
As Perezcious readers will recall, Nick has been in jail since he was accused of murdering his parents, Rob and Michele, in December 2025. At first, he was represented by powerhouse attorney Alan Jackson — who then shockingly quit! And now we know that’s all because of money problems.
In a new probate petition filed on Monday in California and obtained by People, Nick is requesting the money from a trust fund his parents set up in his name, which will allow him to continue his legal fight. The filing explained:
“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation.”
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The petition explains that Nick’s parents left him a “smaller, separate trust for his individual benefit,” referred to as “Nick’s Trust,” something they also did for their kids, Jake and Romy. Apparently, he was supposed to get half of the trust “outright when he turned 30” and the rest when he turned 35. Now 32, he claims he’s gotten nothing, nor has he been informed of the total amount in the trust, which the petition claims is more than $1.5 million.
So, why hasn’t he gotten the money yet??
Nick 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.’”
Nick wants the first half of his payment so he can cover legal costs as well as 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.” The filing noted:
“These distributions are non-discretionary. 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.”
Hitting back at claims he’s not well enough to manage the funds, the petition argued the trust is “irrevocable” and that the trustee isn’t allowed to withhold funds from a beneficiary who is deemed to be incompetent. The trustee may only “modify the manner of distribution to an incompetent beneficiary.”
Regardless, Nick’s team insists “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 the trustee’s “concerns” regarding the screenwriter’s mental capacity are “insufficient.” And given Nick’s “present circumstances,” it’s seen as an “abuse of the Trustee’s discretion to refuse those requests” as no “use of his funds could be more important.” The petition urged:
“The stakes for Nick could not be higher.”
The petition reiterated that Nick’s been unable to pay for “basic necessities while incarcerated,” including legal help. The docs state that Nick was initially able to retain Alan Jackson after payment was negotiated by “Nick’s siblings on his behalf,” but the lawyer was “forced to withdraw because funds were not made available from this Trust or the Reiner family trusts.” Since then, he’s been represented by public defender Kimberly Greene.
And now, his ex-lawyer is actually chiming in, too!
In a declaration filed with the motion, per People and TMZ, Alan said he was first contacted by a family rep after Nick’s arrest with an “urgent need” for a criminal defense attorney. He explained:
“Although we were away from California and no funds had yet been paid, I immediately began evaluating and responding to the situation. [I] participated in conferences with the family representative concerning the potential representation and the urgent circumstances then presented.”
This included Jake and Romy, who “agreed verbally to act as third-party payors” for Nick’s defense. He continued:
“Family representative and family members assured me that the retainer agreement would be promptly returned and that the agreed-upon funds would be promptly paid.”
And so he and his team got to work and spent money and time on the case — but they never got paid! He detailed:
“Had I not received assurances that funding would be provided, I would not have diverted these firm resources, interrupted existing professional commitments, or directed my firm to undertake the extensive work described above on the same basis.”
He was informed in late December that “none of the anticipated third-party funding would be provided,” and that’s when he had to pull out of the case. The good news? Despite this mess, he’s “committed to representing Nick” and “willing to consider reasonable alternatives to the original fee arrangement.” We’ll see how that turns out…
As for the previous arrangement, we can certainly understand it if Jake and Romy changed their mind. They were clearly suffering shock in the immediate aftermath of their parents’ slayings. If they decided they no longer wanted to deal with Nick’s defense, they’re entitled to make that very personal decision.
Thoughts? Let us know (below)!
[Image via Michele Singer Reiner/Instagram & MEGA/WENN]
