The drawn-out battle over the come could be coming to a head
SERENA Williams’ đ€đ©đȘđđ„hood home – which has been in the family for 29 years – is due to be sold to pay off her stepmom’s colossal debt – but no other member will receive a cent.
The U.S. Sun revealed last week a court would decide if Richard Williams’ wife Lakeisha was going to lose their Florida home.
Serena Williams’ debt-riddled stepmom seen with her and Richard’s son DylanCredit: Facebook
Serena Williams hugs her father Richard, 81, who has struggled with health problemsCredit: Getty
7Serena Williams is listed as the owner of her dad’s current property, which she purchased in 2015Credit: Getty
7The house is worth between $1.4 and $1.6 millionCredit: The U.S. Sun
The four-bed property, which is estimated to be worth about $1.4 million, has been the sticking point of a drawn-out legal battle for many years.
“King” Richard, who was played by Will Smith in a Hollywood biopic, accused his third wife of forging his signature to transfer the deed into her name when he filed for divorce in 2017.
She claimed in court documents she only did it as he had left her and their young son to starve, which Richard’s legal team denied.
Lakeisha took out a $279,000 loan from a “hard lender” named David Simon and failed to pay him back, resulting in him chasing her through the courts for years.
Her debt currently stands at $436,113 with interest and attorney fees – after she repeatedly failed to keep up with a repayment plan and she will finally lose the house.
Three years ago, a judge ordered the four-bed home to be sold at auction to pay back Simon and over 20 other creditors.
But that final judgment was stayed as Lakeisha filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy three times.
Each attempt was denied, with the last being in May.
AUCTION DATE
While going through the bankruptcy legal procedure, Lakeisha was protected from creditors selling her one major asset, which she “stole” from her legendary tennis coach spouse.
Now, the judge has ordered that the bankruptcy stay be lifted and Simom’s lawsuit reactivated.
This means that there’s nothing to stop the house sale.
Serena Williams gets sentimental watching King Richard archive footage as dad fights for crumbling đ€đ©đȘđđ„hood home
Simon has recently filed a motion for the auction date to be set and the final judgment tweaked to reflect the change in how much Lakeisha owes him.
After The U.S. Sun contacted the courts, it appears that the judge is yet to decide on this motion.
According to real estate sites, the property is worth between $1.4 million and $1.6 million, but whether it gets that figure at auction remains to be seen.
Richard bought the property with ex, Serena’s mom Oracene, for $355,000 in 1995.
An auction date was last set for June 2021, and it was listed with a valuation of $866,817, according to off-market listing site PropertyOnion.
There’s currently nothing to stop Lakeisha from filing for Chapter 13 again, but this would add more legal and court costs.
The U.S. Sun has made several calls for comment to her attorney Sara Lawrence, but did not receive a reply.
HUGE LOAN
She’d also have to prove that her situation has changed and can afford to keep up with a repayment plan.
If Lakeisha refiles, her automatic stay – protection from creditors – will only last 30 days.
In Simon’s deposition, he revealed Lakeisha approached him initially for a loan after seeing a “for sale” sign on his $79,000 Volvo semi truck tractor.
Simon said he would only sell the truck to Lakeisha if he had property as collateral.
The deed was switched into her name and she even ended up borrowing more than the initial loan amount.
Court docs from Lakeishaâs deposition showed that she’d forged Richard’s signature once before, so that she could sell his 1999 Bluebird Wanderlodge Motor Coach, worth $45,000, to buy food for herself and their son Dylan.
“Mainly, I was broke by my husband [who] did not help me. It was my son and I not getting any money, so I had to sell it so I can eat and my son can eat⊠we didnât have anything,” she said.
Richard’s son Chavoita LeSane has threatened for over a year to file an elder abuse suit, which is yet to materialize.
He told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview, “I can’t remember how long it was into the relationship as far as my dad starting to have financial headaches, like, ‘What’s going on with my social security checks?’
“Lakeisha took the Mercedes, she took the bus, she took money, what else was it? The motorcycle.
‘BACK TOGETHER’
“There are so many things that she stole or forged documents for him. That’s considered elder abuse.
“We’re just putting all of it together, it’s a lot. This whole situation has been frustrating.”
Richard, who married in 2010 and filed for divorce seven years later, called off their divorce in May.
His son claimed they are not back together and he simply couldn’t attend court due to his health concerns and came to an agreement with the judge, but plans to refile.
However, Lakeisha’s lawyer claims they are now back in a “romantic and đâŻđual relationship” and living together at his new home minutes away, which is in daughter Serena’s name.
“Richard Dove Williams and his wife Lakeisha Williams have a son and are raising him together,” attorney Sara Lawrence said.
“They are a family. Lakeisha works and Richard often takes care of their son.”
“Lakeshia and Richard Williams have a romantic and đâŻđual relationship. With their son, they are a family. They live together. They go on family trips to Disney together,” she continued.
Richard and Lakeisha’s Divorce Timeline
Photo credit: Getty
Richard Williams has been keen to finalize his divorce from Lakeisha Graham for years but their case has dragged out amid a fight over their marital home.
The couple married in 2010 when Lakeisha was 32 and Richard was 69.
Williams is a hands-on father to their young 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 claimed in his initial petition that she had forged his name on a deed transfer for their home and stole his Social Security checks.
March 2020
- Court documents revealed excerpts from Lakeisha’s testimony, in which she admits to forging her ex’s signature and also selling his 1999 Bluebird Wanderlodge Motor Coach, worth $45,000. But she claimed she did so as he had left her and their son to starve, which his legal team denied.
February 2022
- Lakeisha told a judge that her stepdaughter Serena wanted to lock her out of the family home. She claimed a letter from the tennis star’s lawyers “threatened to change the locks” if she did not vacate the property. Her 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 they had reconciled and had been sleeping together again, which he later denied.
July 2022
- Their home was valued at $1.45 million and was due to be auctioned off, but Lakeisha filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and stalled the sale. The bankruptcy case was dismissed on July 5 but she filed to have it reinstated claiming she had found money for a repayment plan. She was in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt after taking out a huge loan from a hard lender and not paying it back.
January 2023
- The U.S. Sun sat down with Richard for a world-exclusive interview in which he accused ex-ᔎtriÆ„per Lakeisha of “taking everything” and blowing his cash. Asked how he feels about the split, he said, “I just want a divorce. It’s been six years, man. Just a bunch of junk, junk, junk. [I’m] so tired of that junk now.” But he didn’t seem to be getting any closer to finalizing it and his lawsuit was tossed out by a judge.
August 2023
- It was revealed Lakeisha was struggling to keep up with her repayment plan as she battled to keep the house, where she was said to be living despite it needing extensive repair work.
April 2024
- Richard missed a court date and deposition as he suffers from speech problems due to strokes, and didn’t want to be misunderstood. As a result, he had the case dismissed but plans to refile. Lakeisha has tried for months to stave off the house being sold at auction by filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy three times, but each attempt has failed. The pair’s divorce is expected to resume and play out for months as she continues to live in the rundown home.
Their home remains empty with overgrown grass in Palm Beach Gardens, FloridaCredit: The U.S. Sun
Richard Williams, now 81, called off his divorce in May after a seven-year battleCredit: Getty
Lakeisha Williams seemingly lives a glamorous life on Instagram, showing off clothing and cars
