SERENA and Venus Williams’ father is set to lose a fortune on the family home he “stole” by his stripper ex-wife, The US Sun can exclusively reveal.
The once-grand estate in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, will be sold at auction on July 18 to pay off the colossal debt accrued by his stepmother.
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This tragic situation arose after his wife Lakeisha – 45 and just three years older than Serena – forged Richard’s signature to transfer the property into her name and take out a $279,000 loan from a lender, David Simon.
She squandered it all in a failed trucking business, according to court documents.
After a seven-year legal battle, the place will be sold in two days to pay off Simon’s debt – which now stands at $436,000, including interest and legal fees.
And the bills keep coming for Lakeisha, as we can reveal she has outstanding Palm Beach property taxes for 2022 and 2023 – $12,998 and $16,345 respectively, which includes $1,444 in interest.
And the sale of the once beautiful home, now invaded by Lakeisha, will fetch a fraction of what it’s worth at auction.
According to realtor websites, the four-bedroom mansion is worth more than $1.6 million — but they’ll be lucky to get even half that amount.
The last time it was auctioned, two years ago, the value was set at US$1,024,620 – and property prices remained static.
Thursday will be a sad day for legendary tennis coach Richard – saying goodbye to the house that has been in the family since 1995, when he bought it with Serena and Venus’s mother, Oracene, for $355,000.
It’s where tennis stars grew up and played on the courts.
NO LEGAL RIGHT
Lakeisha failed to maintain the property and it was alleged that she was living in one of the outbuildings as the main house had a leaking roof.
There are disused trucks, trailers and containers on site.
A motorhome in one corner of the property appears to be burnt out.
The most moving photo is of the destroyed tennis court, with a disjointed and frayed net that has not been used for years.
Instead of making a huge profit from the place, Richard will leave with nothing.
The courts have already ruled that Richard, 82, will not receive a penny from any sales, despite the house being “snatched” from him.
Court records state that Richard did not have to agree to any legal rights to the land, with this being written into a legal ruling.
The documents said: “Richard Williams has forever waived any and all claims, defenses and rights of appeal which he had or has relating directly or indirectly to the aforesaid proceeding, whether asserted or not. Said waiver is hereby acknowledged and approved by the Court. “
Any remaining funds, after paying Simon, legal and realtor fees, will go to his other creditors – more than 20 in total.
She has federal tax issues and is being pursued by the IRS.
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.
Financial companies are trying to get their money back, including Bank of America, Comenity Bank and Synchrony Bank.
Some of his debts were passed on to collection agencies such as Firstsource Advantage, LVNV Funding and Forest Recovery Services.
It also owes companies that appear to be involved in its doomed trucking business, such as auto finance companies Embassy Loans and Tidewater Finance.
Hopefully, selling the house will bring Lakeisha’s financial mess to an end.
Ailing Richard said the house was “beautiful” when he lived there with Serena, Venus and Oracene.
“The ten acres of land is unbelievable,” said Richard, explaining that in an ideal world he would like to demolish the house and build a new property, adding: “I don’t need the past anymore if I keep going. [focusing] in the past, I won’t do much.”
Despite losing his house, Richard still appears to be quite wealthy, although he enlisted the help of his daughter Serena and moved into an apartment she paid for, a few kilometers away.
In a shock move, Richard has called off their divorce after seven years of legal wrangling – and the pair are believed to be living in Serena’s paid-for home.
‘TOGETHER AGAIN’
Although his son Chavoita LeSane told The US Sun that he was about to resubmit, he did not do so.
He claimed that the only reason his father had his divorce rejected was because he missed the deposition and trial date due to his health and reached an agreement with the judge.
Chavoita said: “He didn’t realize he needed to go to court. He said, ‘Just give me a week to prepare for this.’ But the lawyer couldn’t make it a week and hates being pressured.
“The last lawyer ruled that he was not fit to stand trial, and that was seven years ago.”
“He wants me to coach him because when he says ‘yes’ sometimes he means ‘no,’ and when he says ‘no’ he means ‘yes,’” Chavoita added.
“He would never want his words to be misinterpreted. That was the problem.
“The divorce will be resumed, but we have to resolve this.
But Lakeisha’s lawyer told a different story.
In a statement, she said: “Richard Dove Williams and his wife Lakeisha Williams have a son and are raising him together.
“They are a family. Lakeisha works and Richard always takes care of his son.”
“Lakeshia and Richard Williams have a romantic and sexual relationship. With their son, they are a family. They live together. They travel to Disney together as a family.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
