THE abandoned tennis court at Serena and Venus Williams’ old family home – which their dad is fighting to keep – is seen in new aerial footage.
Their father Richard has been battling their stepmom Lakeisha for years over the $1.4 million property.
She admitted in court documents to forging his signature and signing over the deed.
Richard filed for divorce back in May 2017 alleging she was stealing from him and she’d taken the house.
Lakeisha, 45, has since racked up more than $600,000 in debt and her creditors are fighting to get the house sold at auction to receive the profits.
Richard’s son Chavoita Lesane previously told The U.S. Sun that Lakeisha was living at her marital home.
Read More on Richard Williams
But drone footage shows the place is abandoned, while Lakeisha’s lawyer alleges they are back together and living at the same home with their 11-year-old son, Dylan.
New court documents reveal that Richard is living in a new home nearby, which was bought by Serena for $815,000 for the one-story property in June 2015.
The place is perfect for Richard, who has had health problems in recent years, as it’s all on one floor.
It boasts four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, with over 4,160 square feet of space.
A real estate listing describes it as a “new, expanded, customized home” offering panoramic views sitting on half an acre.
Some of the upgrades include a pool and spa worth more than $50,000 and a covered patio which cost around $23,000.
Other features include marble floors, upgraded kitchen cabinets, a whirlpool tub in the master bedroom, and a large driveway.
It sounds a world away from his former home, which appears as though it’s been left to rot.
Photographs obtained by The U.S. Sun show the land filled with abandoned vehicles, a trailer, and piles of trash and furniture spilling out of an open garage.
There are also mounds of algae floating in the main pond on the land surrounding the home and outhouses.
Why Richard’s house battle is still not resolved
By The U.S. Sun assistant exclusives editor Katy Forrester who has been following the case for the past few years and flew to Florida to speak with Richard Williams.
Richard Williams filed for divorce back in May 2017 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.
Shockingly, Lakeisha admitted forging his signature but claimed she did so as he had left her and their young son to starve, which his legal team denied at the time.
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 did not respond to requests for comment.
The dispute over the house has been one of the main reasons the divorce dragged on so long, while Lakeisha also tried to get it dismissed claiming they were sleeping together again some years ago.
The U.S. Sun flew to Florida to sit down with Richard for a world-exclusive interview in which he accused ex-stripper Lakeisha of “taking everything” and blowing his cash.
Asked how he felt 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 despite his son claiming he still wants a divorce and wants to save the house, he did not turn up to a recent court hearing and a judge agreed to dismiss the case.
It seems to me Serena and Venus do not want any part in their dad’s marital issues now, and nobody wants to pay off Lakeisha’s debts to try and save the home.
I fear it will be sold off at auction in the coming months, but divorce could still be years away as he’s yet to re-file and is believed to be back in a relationship with Lakeisha.
It sits on a 10.36 acre lot and the main house offers four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms.
Meanwhile, retired tennis coach Richard, 81, was forced to drop his divorce case after seven years this month.
His son alleged it was because he was scared of being misunderstood in court following a series of strokes.
Chavoita told The U.S. Sun he missed a deposition and court hearing and the judge agreed to let it go, but it was claimed Richard would be refiling and was desperate to part ways with Lakeisha.
“With the strokes and stuff, he’s just terrified of the court procedures,” he said.
“He was supposed to show up in court but he did not make it. I’m not sure of the exact date but we had to get it dismissed.
“It wasn’t just court, he was supposed to show up for his deposition.
“I had to talk to the attorney and say, ‘He’s not gonna make it.’ It was terrible. “
In a bizarre twist, Lakeisha’s lawyer alleged that was not the reason the divorce was dismissed, as they battle to save their old home.
She refuted Chavoita’s claims, telling The U.S. Sun, “Richard Dove Williams and his wife Lakeisha Williams have a son and are raising him together. They are a family. Lakeisha works and Richard often takes care of their son.
“Lakeshia and Richard Williams have a romantic and sexual relationship. With their son they are a family. They live together. They go on family trips to Disney together.
“On April 30, 2024, attorney for Richard Williams prepared an Agreed Motion and Order for Dismissal of the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
“All parties – Richard Williams and Lakeshia Williams – as well as their respective attorneys executed the Agreed Motion for Dismissal and the judge entered and executed the Agreed Order dismissing the Dissolution of Marriage action pending in Palm Beach County.”