Litigation Partner Julia Haye was featured on Entertainment Tonight, where she discussed California Probate Code Section 250, commonly known as the “Slayer Statute,” in connection with Nick Reiner's bid to access his $1.5 million trust fund, which trustees have moved to block under the statute as he faces charges of murdering his parents.
Excerpts:
"Most states have it, as well, where if someone feloniously and intentionally kills the decedent, the grantor of the trust, then they are not entitled to take any inheritance from the settlor, the grantor," Haye explains.
"So, the issue here is, whether or not that statute will apply in this instance. The key issue is Nick's trust provided for distribution to take place at age 30, which is being referred to as the age 30 distribution. He hit age 30 two years before the crimes occurred and he was indicted; so, Nick's counsel is arguing that Nick is entitled to that money now, because he was entitled to it two years ago. The incoming trustee is arguing that he never made the request when he was age 30; that he therefore consented to leave the funds in the trust, under the purview of the trustee, and now that he has been charged with these crimes, the slayer statute has been implicated and before any distributions can be made, the court needs to determine if the slayer statute applies."
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