Trust Trustee Stalls on Millions While Defendant Needs Defense Lawyer

When you’re accused of a serious crime and staring down a lengthy legal battle, access to your own money shouldn’t be complicated. Yet that’s exactly what happened in the case of Nick Reiner, whose trust’s trustee dragged its feet on releasing funds he was legally entitled to receive two years ago.

The backstory: A trust set up by Rob and Michele Reiner holds approximately $1.7 million and contains clear distribution instructions. When Nick turned 30—which was two years before he was allegedly charged in connection with his parents’deaths in their L.A. home—he was supposed to receive his cut. Simple enough, right? Except the trustee decided to launch what Nick’s lawyer called a questionable investigation into whether the trust even required a distribution at age 30, despite the trust documents spelling out exactly that.

In a May 11 letter obtained by TMZ, Nick’s attorney expressed justified frustration. The trustee couldn’t confirm whether half the trust had been distributed two years prior—a fact that should have been crystal clear. The lawyer also pushed back hard on the trustee’s suggestion that incompetence might justify withholding funds, pointing out that the trust required written statements from two licensed physicians to make that claim. There were none.

The timing made the delay sting worse. Nick needed the money urgently to hire criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson for his case. Every day the trustee dawdled was a day he couldn’t properly mount a legal defense. According to sources, the trustee finally agreed to file court documents requesting release of the funds, but the unnecessary roadblock raised serious questions about the trustee’s competence—or motives.

It’s a reminder that even in cases involving serious allegations, basic fiduciary duties still matter. A trust document isn’t a suggestion; it’s a binding legal instrument. When a trustee gets fuzzy on what’s clearly written, it’s not prudence—it’s obstruction wrapped in red tape.