Rob Reiner's son Nick seeks money from trust parents left him for his defense in their killings

[demmiblue]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rob Reiner's son Nick Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense against charges that he killed them.

A petition filed by the 32-year-old Nick Reiner's civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on Monday says that trustees overseeing the funds have denied them to him without legal justification, and he needs and should get them now.

"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," the petition says. "Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and he is entitled to mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own."

The director and Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/rob-reiners-son-nick-seeks-money-from-trust-parents-left-him-for-his-defense-in-their-killings

[Passages]

1. It's just too sad and disturbing at the same time.

[hlthe2b]

2. It hurts to think the remaining children will never be free of the misery their brother inflicted

on them all. As distant as the fans are from all this horror, it still feels the opposite. If I can't bear to think about what happened, what hell it has to be for the family.

As galling as it might seem, I suspect a judge will find that some estate funds may legally need to go toward his defense--given the son was undoubtedly in the will. I won't even say it will be interesting to see what is decided because it is such a continuing pain inflicted.

[Sympthsical]

5. These aren't estate funds

There was a trust set up over thirty years ago that Nick was supposed to receive in installments at age 30 and 35. He didn't receive the funds at 30 because of conservatorship due to mental illness, I believe.

But the money is his separate and apart from the parents' estate. At issue is the current trustee doesn't want to give him the funds for defense purposes. I only know a tiny, tiny bit about trust law in California, but I believe a determination of the beneficiary's competence is a big factor in whether or not a trustee can withhold funds the beneficiary is legally entitled to.

Nick's mentally ill - clearly - but I wonder what argument the trustee is making that he can't use his own money for his legal defense. Would be interesting to hear the arguments in that case.

[haele]

7. Having created a family trust, depending on if a conservatorship was added...

That money is his.
My trust is set up so between me and Laz, the survivor has use of the trust. The house is then put into the trust.
Once the survivor passes, the trust then splits equally into three, one third each to kidlet and the grandkids specifically, so any legal partner or lienholder cannot claim it as a joint asset later on.
The trust manager acts as executor and conservator, should with of the grandkids be under 21. The trust manager is not associated with "the family"
The house must be sold within 6 months, contents disbursed as identified, and the trust will absorb and divide proceed of the sale and contents equally, goes into three individual money market accounts for each heir.

[Sympthsical]

9. Gotcha, thank you for the additional info

And in this case, Nick is the only one in the trust. It's not attached to the rest of the family in any way. Apparently they did this individually for all their children.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

11. Yeah, legal fees seems like a legitimate use of the funds. It's not like he's trying to buy a car or a boat.

[Irish_Dem]

3. He should plead guilty and spare his siblings a trial.

And not spend their inheritance.

He cannot plead guilty by reason of insanity because he is a drug addict.

As usual, everything is about Nick.

[MustLoveBeagles]

4. No way

The money should be divided in half and given to the children that didn't murder their parents. Gif guy speaks for me.

[sop]

6. "The Menendez brothers threw themselves on the mercy of the court, claiming they were orphans."

- Dominick Dunne, from a piece in Vanity Fair, describing the brothers' attempts to portray themselves as victims rather than murderers.

[Laffy Kat]

8. I dunno.

He's very obviously insane. It's a disease. I have no problem with it.

[Journeyman]

10. Claiming mercy from the court on account he's an orphan . . .