Stephen LaFrance Sr., founder and owner of the USA Drug pharmacy chain, and his son, Stephen LaFrance Jr., were finally deposed last week in the long-running civil case against a former executive.
The LaFrances – technically, Stephen L. LaFrance Holdings Inc. – unsuccessfully attempted to drop the complaint against Garret Sorensen, his wife and her sister rather than sit for depositions. And that, you surely recall, led to Stephen Sr.’s other son, Jason LaFrance, being deposed in his garage back in November and to his lawyer and friend, Ryan Solomon, being sanctioned for unprofessional conduct.
Whispers knows nothing about what happened at the depositions, but we do know this: Solomon wasn’t there.
That’s because he left the Rose Law Firm, officially on Feb. 29, to become CEO of Legacy Neurosurgery of Little Rock.
"I have been hired by Dr. Scott Schlesinger, who is a firm client at Rose and a friend, to run his professional and personal finances," Solomon told Whispers last week.
Schlesinger owns Legacy Neurosurgery, employs one other physician there (Dr. Eren Erdem) and "has eyes toward expansion," according to Solomon.
Deed records indicate that Schlesinger has made some real estate investments with Stephen LaFrance Jr., and Solomon confirmed that he was introduced to Schlesinger by the LaFrances.
Solomon said Schlesinger first asked him to come to work for Legacy about six months ago – before the garage deposition fiasco, in other words. At the time, the idea "seemed crazy, but it started to make more sense," Solomon said.
He left Rose "on sad but good terms."
"I was sick to leave the firm because I love the firm. Dr. Schlesinger will continue to be a client of the firm," he said.
And the fit is good: "He’s an advocate for his patients the way I was for my clients," Solomon said.
So Rose partner Rick Donovan has joined David Martin on the LaFrance case against Garret and Katherine Sorensen and Shannon Walters.
Sign up for Daily E-news
