Nick Reiner, the son of director Rob Reiner, is seeking unpaid money from a trust fund his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help pay for his defense against charges that he murdered them.

A 136-page petition filed by the 32-year-old Reiner’s civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on Monday says that trustees overseeing the fund, worth more than $1.5 million, have denied him without legal justification and will not share its exact value.

The filing, reviewed by Newsweek, says Reiner’s parents had established individual trusts for Nick Reiner and his siblings.

Under the terms of Nick Reiner's trust, established in 1993, half of the funds should be released to him when he turned 30 and the rest at 35. In the filing, Nick Reiner's attorneys called the terms “unambiguous instructions.”

Reiner never received the funds he was entitled to when he turned 30, the petition says. Attorney Paul R. Kanin, who has been overseeing the trust since February, has given “a shifting series of excuses and justifications” to deny Reiner the money, including concerns about Reiner’s competence that have no bearing on a payout, the petition added.

Reiner says he should also get the money he was to receive at 35 immediately because his defense and his need for basic necessities in jail require it.

"Nick has asked that the remainder of his Trust ... be released to him for (1) his legal expenses; and (2) funding his commissary account so that he can buy basic support items while incarcerated (e.g., socks and personal hygiene items like soap) within the low spending limits imposed by the jail," the petition says. "Given the present circumstances, it is an abuse of the Trustee’s discretion to refuse those requests. Nick is currently awaiting trial on double homicide charges. No use of his funds could be more important."

Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michelle Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on December 14.

Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has since pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder.

“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.”

Here are key takeaways from the petition:

Why Nick Reiner Wants the Money: Legal Fees, Jail Expenses

High-profile defense attorney Alan Jackson had agreed to represent Nick Reiner, the petition says, but Jackson withdrew from the case on January 7.

The new filing reveals that Reiner’s siblings, Jake and Romy Reiner, had initially agreed to pay for Jackson, but later reversed course. He has since been represented by attorneys with the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office.

Jackson’s firm “was forced to withdraw because the anticipated funding from his siblings would not be provided,” the petition says. “That same day, Nick issued a written directive requesting that Jackson’s firm resume its representation if and when funds became available, and directing the Public Defender to assists in facilitating that transition.”

The petition says that because Jackson’s firm had “performed substantial work in the initial phase, their familiarity with the matter would enable them to resume representation efficiently and effectively.”

In a declaration included with the petition, Jackson said “my firm stands ready, willing, and able to resume representation of Mr. Reiner” if the funds become available.

Need For Basic Necessities

The petition further asks that some of the second half of the trust’s funds be released so that Reiner can purchase basic necessities while incarcerated.

Reiner needs to replenish his commissary account "so that he can buy basic support items while incarcerated (e.g., socks and personal hygiene items like soap) within the low spending limits imposed by the jail,” the filings.

The amounts needed to replenish the account “are minuscule compared to the more than $1.5 million still held by the trust,” it says. “There is no conceivable justification for refusing small distributions for Nick’s basic support while incarcerated.”

This is a developing story; updates to follow.