After Taking Control of $1.4 Million Mansion, Serena Williams’ Stepmom Looks to Keep Marriage Afloat With ‘King’ Richard as Divorce Battle Heats Up

Former stripper, Lakeisha Graham is trying every possible means to avoid a divorce from Richard Williams. Despite getting served the first notice back in 2017 which is still going through courts in Florida, she has taken control of several assets belonging to King Richard. Earlier this year Lakeisha claimed that the former American tennis coach was under duress from a third party and filed a motion to get the case dismissed.

But in August Richard Williams filed court documents in Palm Beach County, and stated that he wanted to carry on with the dissolution because their marriage was “irretrievably broken.” This messy split even led to Lakeisha accusing former World No.1 Serena Williams of threatening her. The Williams sisters’ stepmother is also accused of faking Richard Williams’ signature on the title deeds to his Florida home and transferring it to her name.

Richard Williams and Lakeisha locked in a bitter divorce battle

After being married for 7 years Richard stepped into the court in 2017 claiming in his initial petition that his third wife had forged his name on a deed transfer, stole his social security funds, and said that she had an alcohol problem. In Lakeisha’s counter-petition, she claimed Richard exhibited both “hostile” and “abusive” behavior during their marriage.

The 44-year-old’s lawyer, Sandy Becher, told Page Six at the time, “His malicious and fabricated allegations will be completely disproven in court, and they are being alleged for the sole purpose of attempting to deceive the court into not awarding child support and alimony to his child and wife.” Although the couple are off and on often, they have been spotted together with their 11-year-old son, Dylan, which could mean that the former American tennis legend only wants to co-parent rather than be married.

In 2019, Lakeisha stated in her deposition testimony, “He likes to take me like Downtown Los Angeles. He always liked to take me to neighborhoods where, you know, there was Black women, because he likes women.” But Richard got back at her claiming she forged his signature to transfer the West Palm Beach property to her name, to which she admitted. Additionally, she claimed that Richard himself asked her to do everything for him due to ill health, and the deeds and mortgage were all notarized and witnessed at a loan company, according to the court documents.

The $1.4 million worth Florida mansion where the Williams sisters grew up was also forced into auction in 2022. Richard had lost the property in the 2017 divorce and his name was removed from the home. Lakeisha forged the title deeds on the Florida home into her name, remortgaged the property for $279k, and invested a large sum in a trucking business and fast food business that failed.

She eventually won control over it but had to later file for bankruptcy. It was also reported that she borrowed the home loan from a hard lender, David Simon, but did not repay according to the repayment plan, so David filed a lawsuit for the original amount plus interest and attorney fees.

Richard and his son, Chavoita Lesane, claimed that the “house theft” was merely the tip of the iceberg. “Lakeisha took the Mercedes, she took the bus, she took money, what else was it? The motorcycle. This whole situation has been frustrating,” said Chavoita. Lakeisha had been engaging in more extensive fraudulent activities, such as forging Richard’s social security checks and selling his cars without his knowledge.

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Though Lakeisha has been associated with the Williams family for long, Richard’s children share a common emotion toward her.

Serena Williams’ half-siblings were unhappy with Lakeisha

According to court documents from 2017, the Williams’ sisters stepmom accused Serena Willaims of locking her out of the family home. She told the judge that a letter from the former WTA queen’s lawyer threatened to change the locks if she did not vacate the house with her son Dylan. The six-time US Open champ did not answer those claims at the time.

Serena’s half-sister, Sabrina slammed her father for the divorce battle. She always thought that Lakeisha Williams wasn’t the right person for him and that karma had struck Richard Williams. She said, “I kind of knew something wasn’t right with her [Lakeisha], that she wasn’t wholesome. But if you do right in life, things happen to you, that’s right. But when you do wrong and keep doing wrong, there’s going to be somebody who does you wrong, that’s how I see it. Whenever you do evil, you receive wrong, and if you are right, you will receive good acts coming.”

Even King Richard’s son Chavoita Lesane was on the same page as Sabrina, he said, “I don’t know what her intentions were in the beginning, but in my opinion, it does not look right.. honestly, I never thought my dad would marry Lakeisha.” 

The legendary American tennis coach who suffered two strokes and is currently living at a nearby home owned by Serena has had the early onset of dementia and irreparable brain damage. In the latest update, Judge James Martz agreed to Richard’s motion to compel Lakeisha to attend mediation and depositions. Lakeisha filed for a rehearing but this request was denied. Now only time will tell what is next for King Richard and his third wife.

DIVE DEEPER: Prolonged Battle Ends in Defeat for Serena Williams’ Step-Mother as $1,600,000 Florida House Goes ‘King’ Richard’s Way