Accused double-murderer Nick Reiner has suddenly lost his high-powered Hollywood lawyer.
Reiner is accused of killing his parents, Tinseltown legend Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner.
Big-time criminal defense lawyer Alan Jackson suddenly withdrew from the case on Wednesday, just before Reiner was arraigned for the grisly slayings, the New York Post reported.
Hollywood insiders said that Jackson will now avoid becoming a “pariah” among the Tinseltown elite.
Jackson gave reporters no reason for his stunning and abrupt withdrawal, saying that he was legally and ethically barred from “explaining all the reasons” why he left the case.
But Hollywood insiders say that they know the reason.
“The backlash is he becomes a pariah in Hollywood because Michele and Rob were beloved. There would be a real chance Hollywood business would dry up,” legal expert Royal Oakes said.
Oakes, who is not involved with the Reiner case, said that Jackson could have been thinking more about his “reputation than money.”
The legal expert pointed out that Tinseltown titans generally rely on a small team of top lawyers if they run into legal trouble.
Oakes continued, “You can count the number of those lawyers on one hand, Alan is on the list. You know you’re a pariah in Hollywood when you fall off the short list, you’re on that list or you’re not. You’re going to know you’re off the list when the phone stops ringing.”
Hollywood celebrities could be called the the stand during Nick Reiner’s murder trial, meaning that any defense attorney might have to ask A-listers some tough questions, another attorney said.
That could turn the defense lawyer into a Hollywood bad guy.
“You are on the wrong side of this whole thing in terms of the facts and popularity,” said the attorney, who wished to remain anonymous.
