Robin Lehner’s decision to purchase a snake-breeding business in 2017 began a “Tiger King”-like episode that featured alleged non-payment of funds by Lehner and the murder of the snake farm’s previous owner by his wife and another man.
It was only part of a series of financial woes involving Lehner’s other companies that in December led the Vegas Golden Knights goalkeeper to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
In June, Lehner was sued for nearly $4 million tied to Solarcode, a business for which Lehner and his father are listed as owners of. A Wisconsin company named Eclipse Service Inc. was behind the lawsuit, claiming the Lehner’s failed to repay a business loan.
After a payment plan was agreed upon in January of 2022 by the two parties, Eclipse Service claims the Lehners failed to make a single payment in 2022, which lead to the litigation.
In the bankruptcy filing, Lehner and his wife noted their up to $50 million worth of debt was business-related. The filing listed their business RL Exotics, which the bankruptcy filing flagged would need immediate attention because of the exotic pets that live on the property.
Zach Miller, former NFL tight end turned financial advisor with AWM Capital, said the $1.2 million Lehner paid for the snake farm and the massive amount of debt he reported in his bankruptcy filing due to business dealings caught him offguard.
“Business ventures are already risky and when you add massive debt on top of that, it can be devastating when things go wrong,” Miller said. “Putting such a large amount into a single investment violates the key tenet of preserving wealth; diversification.
“As a pro athlete on a big contract, you’ve already won the game, no need to take excessive risk. Private investments and business ventures are where athletes lose the most.”
Lehner purchased the collection of snakes, formerly named Renick Reptiles, from then-owner and world-renowed reptile breeder Ben Renick, setting up a payment plan with quarterly installments of $200,000.
In June of 2017, months after the two sides entered into a deal for the business, Ben Renick was murdered by his wife Lynlee Renick and another man at their Missouri property where he bred snakes, according to a 2020 January ABC 17 report.
According to a probable cause statement by Lynlee Renick to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, she was worried Ben was in the process of leaving her, due to money she was draining from the business. Lynlee opened a spa and was in debt to Capital One and construction companies totaling more than $10,000. She was eventually sued, the ABC 17 report noted.
The highway patrol’s probable cause statement noted Lynlee was motivated by the thought that because of her financial situation she could lose custody of her children, since Ben had the monetary means to do so.
Lynlee Renick in 2018 requested allowances totaling over $19,000 from Ben Renick’s estate. That hearing was delayed after she was arrested in 2020 in connection with Ben Renick’s murder.
A now settled lawsuit filed of behalf of Renick Reptiles in 2018 following Ben Renick’s murder, states that after making the initial $100,000 payment in February 2017 and taking over ownership of the snakes, Lehner failed to make subsequent payments, court records show. The following payments were to be $200,000 apiece made on or before the first of the month in April, June, August, October and December 2017.
Following Renick Reptiles’ suit being filed, Lehner submitted a counterclaim, where he said he made the April 1 payment and that he invested millions of dollars into the the snake business following Ben Renick’s death. The counterclaim stated the reason for the investment was that the snakes were being bred in an unsupervised manner following the murder.
“This unauthorized breeding of Lehner’s collection has further diminished the value of the assets (snakes) to an undetermined, but, upon information and belief, significant amount,” the counterclaim stated.
The countersuit claimed the agreement was that Ben Renick would still care for the snakes, because he was the only one who knew of their unique DNA, in return of Lehner paying for boarding costs.
“Unfortunately, in early June of 2017, Ben Renick died under mysterious circumstances that are still under investigation by local police authorities,” Lehner’s counterclaim read. “Notwithstanding Ben Renick’s death, Renick was still obligated pursuant to the agreement to monitor, care for, and properly breed the collection.”
The suit was settled in November 2019 and RL Exotics LLC has been operating ever since. The details of the final settlement remain confidential, court records show.
Lynlee Renick was eventually sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder and two armed criminal charges, according to January 2022 ABC 17 report. The prosecution noted they believed Lynlee Renick killed Ben Renick for monetary reasons.
The 2022 business loan lawsuit isn’t the only one tied to Solarcode and alleged financial issues.
Solarcode has faced financial problems for years, including lawsuits by former contractors and a partner, records show.
In 2020, Mats Nilsson, who said he was a partner in Solarcode and another firm, sued Lehner, his father and the company, charging the company failed to pay him for his share of the business.
Solarcode, which said they had exclusive patents for a dish-based solar energy production, owed Nilsson $75,000 and 33 percent of a $12.5 million contract it allegedly had with Native American groups to provide the technology, the lawsuit charges.
The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice in May 2021 — six months after it was filed. Nilsson could not be reached for comment and attorneys on both sides of the case did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.
About a month before Nilsson’s case was dismissed, two men who said Lehner contracted them to work for Solarcode also sued, claiming he failed to pay their employment contracts.
Carey Hedstrom and Ernest Smith, who worked on the company’s business plan and developed business contacts, charged Solarcode officials lured them from other jobs and promised six-figure salaries that were never paid, the 2021 lawsuit said.
Solarcode entered into three-year agreements to pay Hedstrom $300,000 plus bonus and Smith was promised a salary of $195,000 plus bonus, the lawsuit claims.
Smith declined to comment and Hedstrom and attorneys in the case could not be reached for comment. The court docket indicates there was a settlement in the case in July 2021 and the case was dismissed in November of that year.
