Any hopes of Serena Williams and Venus William’s childhood home being recovered by the Williams family seem to have been extinguished. A court ruling involving their father Richard Williams and his estranged second wife Lakeisha Graham has almost made sure of that. The US Bankruptcy Court’s ruling in the case was met with defiance by the family, who are determined to fight against it.
Graham took custody of the now crumbling Palm Beach Gardens property by forging Richard Williams’ signature. She used the signature to transfer property deeds in her name and take out a $255,000 loan which she frivolously spent. On finding out about this, Richard Williams immediately started divorce proceedings. He sued Graham to the tune of $1 million, which was to be fetched by a sale of the house.
However, the case was dismissed by a Florida judge in late December. This poured cold water on the Williams family’s intentions of getting the house or its value returned to them. The family has told the US Sun that they will fight back and sue again. They do not want to go down without a fight.
Richard Williams himself has been having a tough few months. The 80-year-old’s son Chavoita Lesane revealed that Williams had brain surgery after suffering two strokes. He’s also showing signs of dementia. Richard Williams is a legendary figure in the tennis world who has been deeply involved with his daughters’ careers. He moved the family to Florida and to the family home in dispute to get the sisters better training.
Will Smith portrayal of Richard in the Oscar-winning movie ‘King Richard’ gave a sense of the man. The film is executive produced by his daughters Serena, Venus, and Isha and it is critically acclaimed and much loved by audiences. It gave people a deeper look into the father’s role in the rise of the tennis stars.
Richard Williams’ role in the rise of Venus and Serena
Richard Williams was a humble security guard in Compton with a dream. He wanted to make sure his daughters became tennis players. He famously told them,” This world never had no respect for Richard Williams, but they are going to respect y’all.”
Richard devised a 78-page plan for Venus and Serena Williams to escape Compton. He left his job to devote all his time to training the sisters as their mother became the family’s breadwinner. He made bold decisions, such as stopping the two sisters from competing in junior tennis. However, he cared deeply for his daughters and made sure they always had fun playing the sport. He made the decision to move the family to Florida to get them better access to training and facilities.
When his daughters made it pro, Richard was their biggest supporter. He would turn up to tournaments with placards and shout encouragement often. Richard also was the biggest of the hypemen for his daughters. The Williams sisters have a lot to thank their brave father for.
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