The long-running legal saga involving Serena and Venus Williams’ childhood home will come to an end in a week as their father enters a surprising new chapter of life.
His $1.4 million home will be sold to the highest bidder to pay off the half-million debt accrued by his stepmother, Lakeisha Williams.
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The US Sun has been reporting on the case for over a year, after the former stripper allegedly robbed the Florida home right under Richard’s nose.
When the frail 82-year-old discovered that his much younger wife of 45 had changed the property titles into her name without his knowledge, he filed for divorce.
But seven years later, he backtracked.
The seven-year drama appears to be coming to an end with the most unlikely outcome – a romantic reunion between Lakeisha and Richard.
Read more about Richard Williams
They already maintain a romantic and sexual relationship, according to their lawyer.
If that’s the case, then they’re doing it behind the back of his son Chavoita LesSane, who is convinced that his father is being taken advantage of.
On July 18th, the day of the auction, Lakeisha will be homeless and, if they believe they are back together, she will be living with Richard in their new home, just a few miles away, in Palm Beach Gardens.
Ironically – considering Lakeisha is losing the home that has been in the Williams family since Serena was 14 – this new property is owned by Serena herself.
She had to take action after her father filed for divorce and needed to move out of the house he no longer owned.
SON’S COMPLAINTS
Lakeisha replicated his signature to transfer the four-bedroom mansion into her name – and then she borrowed $279,000 using the house as collateral from lender David Simon to spend it all on a disastrous trucking and “fast food and frivolity” business. .
At one point, that amount rose to nearly $620,000, including legal fees and interest, after Simon sued to get his money back.
It now stands at $436,113, with the proceeds from the house sale paying him and his other 20-plus creditors.
This was allegedly not his first misdemeanor, but he took advantage of the legendary tennis coach’s status to forge his signature to sell his cars and cash his social security checks, according to Chavoita.
Unfortunately, time is not on Richard’s side after three strokes, the onset of dementia and memory loss, according to court documents and family sources.
They met at a tennis tournament while she was working as a dancer called “Angel” and have a son, Dylan, now 12.
But it looks like Lakeisha is having the last laugh and Richard is right by her side.
Furious, Chavoita threatens to file a lawsuit for elder abuse more than a year ago.
He claims Richard did not proceed with the divorce because he was unfit to continue the battle and will refile at a later date.
He told The US Sun in an exclusive interview: “I don’t remember how long it’s been in the relationship since my dad started having financial headaches, like, ‘What’s happening with my Social Security checks?’
“Lakeisha took the Mercedes, took the bus, took money, what else was it?
Richard and Lakeisha Divorce Timeline
Photo credit: Getty
Richard Williams has wanted to finalize his divorce from Lakeisha Graham for years, but the case has dragged on amid a fight over the marital home.
The couple married in 2010, when Lakeisha was 32 and Richard was 69.
Williams is an active father to his son, Dylan, known as Junior, and has tried to maintain a good relationship with his ex despite the court case.
May 2017
- Richard filed for divorce from Lakeisha after seven years of marriage. He alleged in his complaint that she had forged her name on a deed transfer to his home and stolen his Social Security checks.
March 2020
- Court documents revealed excerpts from Lakeisha’s testimony, in which she admits to having forged her ex’s signature and also selling her 1999 Bluebird Wanderlodge Motor Coach, worth US$45,000. But she claimed she did it because he had starved her and her son, which her legal team denied.
February 2022
- Lakeisha told a judge that her stepdaughter Serena wanted to keep her out of the family home. She claimed a letter from the tennis star’s lawyers “threatening to change the locks” if she did not vacate the property. His legal team at the time did not respond to requests for comment.
June 2022
- Richard filed a $1 million lawsuit against Lakeisha, despite her claiming in court documents that they had reconciled and were sleeping together again, which he later denied.
July 2022
- Their home was valued at $1.45 million and was supposed to be auctioned, but Lakeisha filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and put the sale on hold. The bankruptcy case was dismissed on July 5, but she filed for reinstatement claiming she had found money for a repayment plan. She was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt after taking out a huge loan from a lender and failing to repay it.
January 2023
- The US Sun caught up with Richard for a world exclusive interview, in which he accused former stripper Lakeisha of “taking everything” and spending his money. Asked how he feels about the split, he said: “I just want a divorce. It’s been six years, man. Just a bunch of rubbish, rubbish, rubbish. [I’m] I’m tired of this rubbish now.” But he appeared no closer to finalizing the process and his case was dismissed by a judge.
August 2023
- It was revealed that Lakeisha was struggling to stick to her repayment plan as she fought to keep the house, where she allegedly lived, despite it needing extensive repairs.
April 2024
- Richard missed the hearing and testimony because he suffers from speech problems due to strokes and did not want to be misunderstood. As a result, he had the case dropped, but planned to file again. Lakeisha tried for months to keep the house from being sold at auction by filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy three times, but each attempt failed.
“There are so many things she stole or forged documents for him. This is considered elder abuse.
“We’re just putting it all together, it’s a lot. This whole situation has been frustrating.”
Despite Chavoita’s protests, it appears they will be a couple again in a home paid for by Serena, who shelled out $815,000 for the single-story property in June 2015.
The place has four bedrooms, five bathrooms and more than 4,160 square feet of living space.
It is 25 kilometers from the house where he taught Serena and Venus on two tennis courts, which still exist today.
Meanwhile, a new documentary could reveal more about Serena’s childhood as she was taught by her father, who was determined to turn his daughters into sports stars.
In the Arena: Serena Williams is a new eight-part TV docu-series that will focus on the tennis star’s professional career and life after retirement, according to reports.
The first installment aired on Wednesday, July 10th on ESPN+, and subsequent episodes will be released every Wednesday at 9pm PT until the season finale on August 28th.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
