Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner and his wife Donya filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy with the District of Nevada on December 30th, 2022.
According to the public filing, Lehner estimates the worth of his assets between $1-10 million while his liability to creditors is between $10-50 million.
In the bankruptcy filing documents, Lehner is said to be the owner of RL Exotics LLC, “which operates a reptile farm in Plato, Missouri, which is an operating business with 3 employees, and which requires reptiles to be maintained and fed.”
Lehner was first linked to snakes back in 2017 when he reportedly purchased a collection of exotic snakes for $1.2 million.
Renick agreed to sell his snakes, ball pythons and anacondas, to NHL goalie Robin Lehner in early 2017 for $1.2 million. Lehner would pay Renick in quarterly installments of $200,000 throughout the year. Lehner made one such payment in February 2017. –Article by Lucas Geisler of KMIZ in St. Louis, Missouri
The man mentioned, Ben Renick, was murdered in June 2017 by his wife Lynlee Renick who was subsequently found guilty of the charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison. According to KMIZ, following Renick’s death, a lawsuit was filed against Lehner in 2018 after he stopped making payments for the snakes.
Lehner countersued in December of that year, claiming that he took on millions of dollars in costs taking care of Renick’s animals. At some point after Ben’s death, he said, the snakes “began breeding amongst one another in an unsupervised, uncontrolled manner.” That caused the collection of snakes to lose value, but Lehner’s attorneys did not specify by how much.
Renick Reptiles then claimed in July 2019 that at some point, Lehner “stole a collection of anacondas [from] Renick Reptiles’ place of business (as well as taking the collection of ball pythons that Lehner refused to pay for).” The lawsuit does not say how many snakes were allegedly taken.
The two sides suddenly announced a settlement in November 2019. A filing in the Montgomery County estate case from that August said the two sides had reached a settlement, but wanted to keep the terms of it confidential. Laiderman wrote that both sides wanted to “complete [Lehner]’s purchase of the [snakes].” –Article by Lucas Geisler of KMIZ in St. Louis, Missouri
In 2019, Lehner formed RL Exotics LLC and the company has been operating since.
Listed among the potentially interested parties in the bankruptcy filing include the Vegas Golden Knights, Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, the National Hockey League, Newport Sports Management, and a financial company called Sure Sports Lending.
Sure Sports Lending describes itself as an agency that “specializes in low-interest, unsecured loans and contract advances to Professional Athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, and MLS based on their player contracts.”
This is the same company that was sued by the trustee assigned to oversee Evander Kane’s bankruptcy.
Sure Sports over 10 months crossing between 2018 and 2019 arranged nearly $14 million in loans to Kane, according to court filings. Kane in early 2021 filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, declaring $26.8 million in liabilities and unleashing an ongoing vitriolic process between creditors and the hockey star who recently signed with the Edmonton Oilers. Sure Sports itself filed as a creditor, seeking nearly $1.2 million it alleged Kane owed in fees. –Article by Daniel Kaplan in The Athletic
The article also links Sure Sports to defaulted loans with NFL running back Adrian Peterson and MLS left-back Kemar Lawrence.
The bankruptcy claims that Lehner’s debts are “primarily based on business debts that were incurred to help obtain money for a business or investment.”
In an email to SinBin.vegas, the attorney representing Robin Lehner says both the Golden Knights’ team counsel and creditors have been made aware of the bankruptcy filing.
**The initial headline to this story read Robin Lehner Files For Bankruptcy Due To Ownership Of Exotic Snake Farm, it has been changed to “in connection with” after more information about the case became public.**
DL
Enough is enough. I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane. Everybody strap in.
R
Garry McArthur
Lol
FERDAGIRL
LMFAO on a ✈️
Heh
Of course he’s at zero, too many snakes not enough ladders.
Obvious
He should be charged with impersonating an NHL starter
What a total nut
Steven Douglas Adams
When healthy he’s a really good goalie, you don’t know hockey!
Obvious
He is so.good, not ONE team wanted him before we wasted money on him… You are part of the dumbest fan base in the league
Arnold Rothstein
Abe Lincoln had 8 failed businesses.
Blitz
Abe Lincoln wasn’t a kneeling piece of shit.
Marty B.+
What were they?
Staples Button
Good is not great. All goalies that have made it to the Chel are “good”
Joe
seems about right for a MAGA supporter
Chris
Life has been so good under Biden! Look at the costs of everything. That damn Trump. Helping the people, we hate him. Lol another dumb fan!
Burt
Admit it, you really thought he donated his salary, didn’t you?
Helen
Exactly. As well as the Knights front office impersonating an NHL front offce
Cody M.
Is this the weirdest thing the Golden Knights have been entangled in?
Vegas golden shower
Eichel is a bigger turd
Garry McArthur
Lol
Ronnie Byrd
That’s what we call.hockey in Georgia
William1
Anyone ever toss a snake onto the Ice at a NHL game ?
Helen
The weirdest thing was choosing Lamer over Fleury
George T
Just when I thought Robin Lehners story couldn’t get weirder.
What’s the excuse for this episode?
Sergio V
He likes snakes?
TS
Sergio, TOO FUNNY!
Roberto
Asked in another post this week about Lehrer. Thank you for this very detailed response, SB crew.
HockeyJohn58
He will blame it on the fleury fans – say they ruined his life.
Steve 31
MAF traded for nothing so we can keep the Snake King. !!!
Ts
Steve, what a trade-off, huh?? Maybe, just maybe, Mgmt will do MORE research before making BIG decisions from now on. THAT decision was a BIGGIE.
Julie
The debate between Fleury and Lehner has officially slithered away.
TS
Julie, FUNNY!!Let the FUN ( and PUNS) begin!
Just a fan
Ok the guys a lower in all aspects so the faster the VGK cut ties with him the better.
Just a fan
Loser, dam spell check
Francois Bouvier
I wonder if management misses Fleury.
David
“Damn”
Herby
This guy is a mess on so many levels. Hope he stays on LTIR for the rest of his contract.
Frank
This happens to be the most interesting and bizarre article I have ever read on sinbin! Congrats!!!!!!! That Lehner, what a gem!
Herby
Press Coverage in Sweden
Earns 59 million, but refuses to pay debt
| Published: 2023-01-07 21:18
The Svea Court of Appeal has confirmed the bankruptcy decision of the Nacka District Court regarding NHL player Robin Lehner, 31, a goalkeeper for the Vegas Golden Nights. It was at the end of November that the Nacka District Court placed Lehner in personal bankruptcy.
According to the district court, and now also the court of appeal, Lehner has not repaid a loan for which he has acted as a guarantor.
Robin Lehner was ranked during the season as one of the NHL’s best goalkeepers. In 2016, Robin Lehner entered into a guarantee of SEK 2.5 million for a company that would finance the start-up of a home for people with intellectual disabilities. The company has not repaid the money, according to the agreement, to the lender, which forced the lender to turn directly to Lehner.
He has not covered the debt and thus has not fulfilled his guarantee. The debt now amounts to about SEK 5 million. The lender’s lawyer, Jonas Edward, has referred to a legally binding default judgment which means that a dispute is settled completely in accordance with the plaintiff’s claims, as the other party has not appeared at the hearing.
Clas Jörgensen, representative for Robin Lehner, appealed the district court’s decision to the court of appeal and argued that his client had not been able to access all the documents and that the case was not adequately examined.
In a solvency assessment, a retrospective perspective should be given and it is obvious that Lehner has the ability to pay the current debt. He should therefore not be declared bankrupt, Clas Jörgensen argued.
He has also highlighted that Lehner’s main activity is in the USA and that the Nacka District Court was not competent to make a decision.
In the appeal to the court of appeal, Clas Jörgensen also emphasized that Robin Lehner has a ongoing contract with his club worth 59 million annually until 2025, which, according to Jörgensen, contradicts the district court’s decision that his client is insolvent.
Dagens Juridik (Today’s Juridik) now reports that the Svea Court of Appeal, two days before New Year’s Eve, did not make any other assessments than the Nacka District Court.
As for jurisdiction, forum, notification or parts, we agree with the district court’s decision and there is therefore no reason for rejection or removal, the Svea Court of Appeal stated.
Robin Lehner grew up in Gothenburg and moved to Canada/USA in the fall of 2009. He is currently injured and in August last year, his team Vegas Golden Knights announced that Lehner is expected to return next fall.
During the 2018-2019 season, Lehner was named the best player on the New York Islanders and was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Jaxx
Neat
THE hockey God
Everyone knows that snake collecting issues are almost always related to bad ice….there was a study on this
What?
My vest has sleeves
Arnold Rothstein
to fake hockey God, as usual you are no more than a bad troll trying to imitating someone who is not trolling you. You clearly know nothing about hockey and do nothing more than troll. No value added.
Poor ice conditions continue to be a concern for NHL players, arenas
An in-depth look at the number of recent complaints about the ice conditions throughout the NHL and how they are happening.
Shayna Goldman
Feb 28, 2017
There have been a number of complaints about the ice conditions throughout the National Hockey League recently. From Gila River Arena in Arizona, to Rogers Place in Edmonton, and east to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn; the quality of the ice has been discussed.
Underneath the concrete floors in all NHL arenas is a refrigeration system. The ice surface is made on top of those concrete floors prior to the start of the preseason. Eighteen arenas feature CIMCO cooling systems for ice refrigeration, including T-Mobile Arena which will soon become the thirty-first arena in the NHL. In creating an ice surface, a chiller, compressor, and condenser are required. Currently, NHL arenas use an ammonia refrigeration system. In the future that could be transitioned to CO2, which likely will require more compressors, but will be a more sustainable system.
Obvious
How are the flat earth meetings? Dumbest fanbase in the league
TS
Obvious, in the AZ game, in AZ, the players on BOTH teams kept ” losing a skate”, as announcers said. So, if bad ice is fiction, WHY all the slip- and- falls?? Just too SLIPPERY for these pros?? Give us YOUR assessment, please.
Obvious
Wait, what? Ice is slippery? Who knew?
Dumbest fans in the league
TS
Obvious, just my point. OBVIOUSLY these Pros know how to skate on ” slippery ice”. So, it just might be ANOTHER FACTOR causing multiple “skate malfunctions” on ice. Yes???? Doesn’t happen in every arena, so….perhaps issues with less- than- ideal ice conditions in some arenas?? Possibility????
knights fan in minny
give him hell arnold
Knights fan in minnie
And Arnold, thank you for the dic pix! Love them!
knights fan in minny
fuck off fake ass poster who has nothing valuable. to say
Blitz
LOL
Darris Ledrew
Rogers and montreal usually have the best ice as voted by the players every year
Kevin
Nice work buddy, you certainly know the ice business. I agree the NHL arenas need a serious look at when it comes to their ice.
DJ Wright
lol…and people thought the Sabres were the problem…
knights fan in minny
wiggy biscut the snake charmer who knew
Stikks_Lady1
I don’t think Bill Foley is a happy camper!
Helen
Who cares? He chose Loser over Fleury. Only watching VGK again as Loser is no where in the building
Sergio V
As an snake owner and someone who follows the current reptile market, the Ball Python market took a dive in 2022 just in time for breeding season (Oct – Nov). So had Custom Scales (RL Exotics LLC) sold their new snakes. I bet Lehner would have been fine.
Unfortunately he now has thousands of snakes for sale on morph market and has to pay to feed them until buyers come around.
This is why he could not afford to pay the business loan he procured to start his reptile breeding business.
Julie
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how’d you like the play?
I guess VGK is named in the papers as a means to get their money? How does that work?
And snakes? FFS
knights fan in minny
cut ties with the whack job
Lehrner sucks
Everything about this bad back up goalie annoys me. Stealing money and being a horrible NHL goalie. All the crying and whining he does. He is his own problem. Oh wait. Sorry next week it will be she. Him and bobrovsky should write a book together how to suck at being and NHL goalie and get millions of dollars for it.
Not a Vegas or buffalo fan. Just watch hockey. This guy sucks at hockey and life.
Betterthanyou
Sit down and stfu, beer leaguer.
Ted leonsus
Thats some fine money laundering he’s been doing. Should be in jail.
Liz
This is the stuff that makes the world go round!
Kathy
What a moron.
Kelly
Wow – this guys is really suffering from a reptile dysfunction…. Isn’t there a pill for that ?
TS
Kelly, WELL SAID!! Oh, what fun fans are having over this surreal story! This will be a piece of VGK history, crazy as it is!
William Brush
reptile disfunction ! Curare ! Medical Caduceus are snakes are they not ?
Pat
This story is about as Vegas as Vegas gets. I’m reminded about how Cousin Eddie used snakes to keep his kids busy while he went with Clark to gamble. Very entertaining!
Compounddavid
Is he in the bankrupt illuminati for reptilians?
Freddie
Sounds like a scammer and incompetent one at that
Arnold Rothstein
@Blitz
Abe Lincoln wasn’t a kneeling piece of shit.>>>>spin out.
well Abe Lincoln was a God Fearing man, so when he prayed he did kneel. But that is besides the point. Trying to conflate kneeling with business acumen is a bit of a stretch, wouldn’t you say ?
I don’t favor RL’s kneeling for a fake woke cause, but then again that is besides point and has nothing to do with his snake business, does it ?
FEEDAGIRL
Abe Lincoln was one hella of a Vampire Slayer! LOL
FERDAGIRL
We now know what house Lehner was sorted into at Hogwarts! ♀️
FERDAGIRL
Abe Lincoln was one hella of a Vampire Slayer! LOL
Josh Stjohn
The most hated reptile on this planet and he loses it all over something that’ll take his life without even thinking twice.
Krizzi
I wonder if VGK will be shedding Lehner’s contract?
Love The Hockey
OK for a moment I didn’t know if this was April 1 or what – this is a real article!
This also smells of so much shady crap I don’t even know where to start. 3 employees, snakes, small town maybe off the highway – smell like a front for some other kind of business that lost millions of dollars??
Good god, I wish Lehner well, I like the guy – but this is just weird.