Nick Reiner Petitions to Access $1.5 Million Trust to Re-Hire More Expensive Lawyer

As Nick Reiner awaits trial on charges of murdering his parents, he has filed a petition to access a $1.5 million trust that is currently controlled by a conservator with the intention of re-hiring a prominent defense lawyer he had previously retained.

In the petition, the 32-year-old Reiner argues that he has been owed the money since he turned 30, but he is being blocked by conservator Paul Kanin, who, he alleges, has “offered a shifting series of excuses and justifications” for why Reiner can’t access the funds. As Rolling Stone reports, the petition also references “unsubstantiated ‘concerns’ about Nick’s so-called competence to ‘manage a trust.’”

It’s unclear when this conservatorship began. A different conservatorship was installed in 2020 but ended in 2021 for reasons that have not been publicly disclosed. Reiner was taking anti-psychotic medications at the time he allegedly stabbed his parents Rob and Michele Reiner, and he is also a recovering drug addict; both addiction and unmanaged psychosis are common reasons for a court to appoint a conservator.

His defense team had initially retained attorney Alan Jackson, who previously defended Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. But in January a representative for Reiner’s siblings announced that the family would no longer be paying Jackson’s legal fees as a public defender took over the case.

In addition to “his legal expenses,” Reiner is asking for more discretionary funds to “buy basic support items,” like socks and hygiene products.

“Given the present circumstances, it is an abuse of the Trustee’s discretion to refuse those requests,” the petition states. “Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges. No use of his funds could be more important.”

Reiner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the alleged stabbing deaths of his mother and father. In February, he pleaded not guilty.