SERENA Williams’ dementia-suffering dad is on the verge of losing his Florida home in a bitter court battle with the star’s stepmother – who has now filed for bankruptcy, report reveals. Richard Williams, 79, claims estranged spouse Lakeisha forged his signature to transfer their West Palm Beach property into her name, which she later admitted, according to court documents.
Williams’ legal team have been keen to prove that he was ‘incapacitated’ at the time of the mortgage transfer and wasn’t capable of agreeing to it. The news comes as Serena was left in tears on Monday after she was forced to quit Wimbledon after slipping in her first-round match. Her left ankle gave way as she tried to hit a return in just the fifth game against Belarusian opponent Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
In court filings, it was revealed that her former tennis coach father has suffered two strokes and his doctor said he has dementia and irreparable brain damage. He is claiming his younger spouse, 47, took out a $152,000 mortgage from ‘hard lender’ David Simon in February 2017 after imitating his handwriting. She then allegedly borrowed a further $127,000 to set up a failed trucking business and only ever paid back approximately $25,000.
Throughout the court battle, Williams has claimed Lakeisha (pictured together in 2008) forged his signature to gain possession of his house
Now, Judge Donald Hafele has ruled in Simon’s favor and the couple are jointly liable to pay his loan and interest, plus attorney fees, which totals $513,213.67. A foreclosure auction for the property was set for June 28, an order which Williams agreed to. Simon was forced to ask the court to gain entry into the property, over fears it had fallen into disrepair, after Lakeisha refused access.
Venus and Serena Williams’ stepmother Lakeisha Williams, claims their father Richard, starved her and their young son, forcing her to sell the family’s motorhome in order to buy food
She then filed a handwritten motion against the foreclosure judgement, claiming she never received notice, after her attorneys, Wolfe Law, withdrew their services due to “irreconcilable differences”. In a last ditch attempt to keep the home, Lakeisha filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy on June 18, which has put the sale on hold.
She allegedly owes lender Simon, a string of banks, and the IRS up to $1million. The US Bankruptcy Court has noted that she’s missed out large chunks on the bankruptcy form, which need to be completed by July 7.
Williams originally bought the property with tennis legends Serena and Venus’ mother Oracene for just $355,000 in 1995. He coached the 39-year-old star and her sister, 41, from a young age, setting them up to dominate in the sport for decades. They are believed to still be close, although Serena previously revealed he pulled out of walking her down the aisle minutes before her wedding, admitting he was struggling following an earlier stroke.
In David Simon’s deposition, he revealed Williams’ ex Lakeisha approached him for the loan after seeing a ‘for sale’ sign on his $79,000 Volvo semi truck tractor. Simon would only sell the truck to Lakeisha if he had property as collateral, which was in Williams’ name, so she transferred the deeds into her name by allegedly faking her husband’s signature. But the truck was then repossessed by Simon in June 2018 after it split in half in Long Island City, 1,200 miles from their home, causing $30,000 damage.
The case, which has been ongoing since April 2017, revealed jaw dropping allegations about their tumultuous marriage. Court docs from Lakeisha’s deposition showed that she’d allegedly forged Williams’ 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, now eight.
The site of Robert Williams’ luxury home in Florida
“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 didn’t have anything,” she said.
She claimed to have no idea that Williams wanted a divorce. According to her deposition, they were living together as a married couple until May 2017 when he suddenly served her ‘dissolution papers’. She reveals that on the day he filed the divorce petition, he even gave her a kiss and prayed with her in the morning.
These are the documents where Lakeisha forged Williams’ signature so that she could sell his 1999 Bluebird Wanderlodge Motor Coach, worth $45,000, to buy food for herself and their son Dylan, now seven
She says: “He just came and gave me a kiss actually that morning, the morning of — and he will always, would share with me to pray, you know, to always pray for our family and then he left with Chavonte [his son].”
Serena Williams (R) of the USA celebrates with her father Richard Williams and sister Venus Williams after her Ladies’ Singles final match against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland
Meanwhile, William’s doctor, Monica Walker, wrote a letter explaining her assessment of his health and his son Chavoita LeSane was handed power of attorney.
Dr Walker stated: “As you are well aware, you suffered damage to your brain tissue during a stroke. The complications after the stroke included inability to remember things which happened recently and incidents that happened years ago.
“You will remember, immediately after the stroke, your muscles weakened and slowly you were able to regain strength. You also have problems speaking and finding the right word to use.
“You have recovered from problems forming your words. However, you have not recovered from what is called dementia.
Venus and Serena Williams’ stepmother Lakeisha Williams, claims their father Richard, starved her and their young son, forcing her to sell the family’s motorhome in order to buy food
“Your ability to do household business transactions such as writing checks, paying bills, and maintaining records is lost. You still at times find it difficult to use the right words. “This is all part of cerebral vascular disease and stroke.
“When I spoke with you concerning legal matters and your level of judgement during any household or business transactions, you stated you were unable to do any tasks relating to business.
“You stated your wife handled all the household business because you get confused easily. “Your mental state since the first stroke includes loss of recent and remote memory and increased confusion during times of increased demands for concentration.”
