Serena Williams and her family have been fighting a court case against their stepmother, who has allegedly taken their childhood home. Lakeisha Willams tied the knot with Richard Williams in 2009. Lakeisha had been battling with the court since her divorce from Richard in 2017 to keep the childhood home in her name. They have been involved in legal disputes since the property was transferred to her name.
Serena and Venus Williams had grown up in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Richards had said that his signature had been forged by Lakeisha to transfer the title deed to her name. She had already filed for bankruptcy in court. The case has taken a toll on the Williams family, as they lost their childhood home and time.
Richard is currently suffering from dementia and has also suffered two strokes. His 1999 Bluebird motor home has also been sold by Lakeisha, who said that she and her children were left to starve by Richards, so she had to sell it. Richard has said that he has not signed any documents so far.
Childhood home of Serena Williams poorly maintained by Lakeisha
Lakeisha has not been maintaining the Palm Beach home, as its value halved after she took over. She had borrowed thousands of dollars to start a trucking business, but it did not go according to plan. Now she has financial troubles and also has to pay the attorney fees. Richard’s stepson, Chavoita LeSane, has been taking care of his father.
Chavoita said: “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. There are so many things that she stole or forged documents for him. That’s considered elder abuse”. (via The US SUN). Richard has been facing serious health issues in the past few years due to his age and still has been fighting the case.
Chavoita has been the primary caretaker and is the CEO of ChamVam, a music production company based in Florida. Lakeisha will lose the Palm Beach property if the loans are not paid back, as it is in her name. The family will be hoping to gain possession of their childhood home and rebuild it.