One Sentence Changed Everything: Nick Reiner shared his brother’s handwritten note in court, and the aftermath sent his life into a downward spiral
Nick, who has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in connection with the deaths of parents Rob and Michele Reiner, is seeking access to a $1.5M trust fund
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/nick-reiner-court-1-022326-725ede5a11de4bce823004d34df1a14a.jpg)
Nick Reiner appears with Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene during his arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court on February 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.Credit : Chris Torres-Pool/Getty
Nick Reiner has accused his siblings of backing out of an alleged agreement to fund his legal defense as he awaits trial for the December 2025 killing of their parents.
The middle child of filmmaker Rob Reiner and producer Michele Singer Reiner, Nick, 32, leveled the allegations against his older brother Jake Reiner and younger sister Romy Reiner in a probate petition filed on Monday, June 8.
The petition centers on Nick’s demand for access to a $1.5 million trust fund established by his parents. Nick aims to use the funds to re-engage high-profile attorney Alan Jackson — who first represented Nick after he was arrested last December — in lieu of L.A. County public defender Kimberly Greene. Nick faces 2 counts of first-degree murder in connection with his parents’ deaths. He has pleaded not guilty.
Known for representing clients such as Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, Jackson was “forced to withdraw” after learning that anticipated funding from Nick’s siblings “would not be provided,” the filing alleges.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(748x215:750x217):format(webp)/romy-jake-reiner-things-like-this-premiere-los-angeles-061126-7a7f965562e447d5afc35a7e7daa8aff.jpg)
Jackson originally “agreed to undertake the defense, subject to a retainer agreement and funding, with the siblings agreeing to act as third-party payors,” according to the probate petition.
In a declaration supporting Nick’s petition, Jackson writes, “Mr. Reiner’s siblings participated in communications concerning the representation and agreed verbally to act as third-party payors for Mr. Reiner’s defense. The 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.”
The attorney adds, “My decision to proceed was based on my understanding that Mr. Reiner had retained my firm and that the agreed-upon fee would be funded by third-party payors.”
However, Jackson says that in late December 2025, a “family representative” involved in negotiations over Nick’s defense informed him that “none of the anticipated third-party funding would be provided.”
“That position was inconsistent with the prior assurances on which my firm had relied,” Jackson goes on. “Without an available source of funding, continued private representation by my firm was no longer feasible. My firm thereafter sought to withdraw in accordance with applicable court procedures and professional obligations.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(778x311:780x313):format(webp)/Alan-Jackson-011326-81efb5e598ed40d2888883048b879e57.jpg)
In a May 11 email from Nick’s attorney Anita P. Wu, writing on his behalf to the trustee of the trust fund, Wu states that Jackson’s fees “were negotiated and agreed to by Nick’s siblings on his behalf before they reversed that commitment.”
Jackson also said that he is “committed to representing” Nick and “willing to consider reasonable alternatives to the original fee arrangement.”
Neither the petition nor its exhibits make clear whether the allegedly agreed-upon funding would have come from Nick’s trust, other Reiner family trusts or from another source. Any funds disbursed from Nick’s trust would have required the approval of the trustee. Neither Jake Reiner nor Romy Reiner has been publicly identified as a trustee of their brother’s trust.
