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Trustees Block Nick Reiner From $1.5M Trust Fund

8/16/2026

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Summary

Trustees Block Reiner

Trustees Paul Kanin and Jodi Pais Montgomery blocked Nick Reiner from accessing his $1.5 million trust fund.
The trustees invoked California’s slayer statute, which bars a felonious killer from inheriting.
They said the $1.5 million would be transferred to siblings Jake and Romy.
Attorney Anita P. Wu argued the statute requires a court ruling.
Wu requested a pre-trial hearing for September 15, 2026, citing Reiner’s presumption of innocence.

Summary

Reiner Indicted

Indictment documents reveal Nick Reiner's long-standing mental-health and substance-abuse issues.
Hours before the December 2025 killings, Nick Reiner argued loudly with his father at a holiday party hosted by Conan O’Brien.
Former private attorney Alan Jackson withdrew from the defense in January and later received trust-fund fees in April.
Successor trustee Paul Kanin resigned in July after Nick Reiner’s probate lawyer threatened a lawsuit.

History

Historical Context

California added a slayer statute to its Probate Code in 1975, following the Uniform Probate Code’s 1969 No-Profit language and the 1889 Riggs v. Palmer dissent that warned courts against creating inheritance bans without explicit law. The rule first shaped the 1995 People v. Smith decision, diverting a $2 million estate, and today trustees cite it to block Nick Reiner’s $1.5 million trust.

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Trustees Block Reiner

Trustees Paul Kanin and Jodi Pais Montgomery blocked Nick Reiner from accessing his $1.5 million trust fund.
The trustees invoked California’s slayer statute, which bars a felonious killer from inheriting.
They said the $1.5 million would be transferred to siblings Jake and Romy.
Attorney Anita P. Wu argued the statute requires a court ruling.
Wu requested a pre-trial hearing for September 15, 2026, citing Reiner’s presumption of innocence.

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