SERENA Williams’ stepmom will find out next week if she’s going to lose the home, which has been in the family for 29 years, that she “stole” from the tennis star’s father.
Former stripper Lakeisha Williams has repeatedly fallen behind on paying back a $600,000 debt, which is saddled on the four-bedroom mansion – worth $1.4 million – in Palm Beach, Florida.
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The debt comes after the 45-year-old – who is nearly half the age of estranged husband “King Richard,” 81 – faked his signature on the title deeds into her name and took out a $279,000 mortgage with “hard lender” David Simon, court documents allege.
The property has been in the Williams family since 1995 when legendary tennis coach Richard purchased it with Serena’s mom Oracene for $355,000.
Simon has been chasing through the courts for the loan to be repaid for the last seven years, with it rising to over $600,000 at one stage, including interest and attorney fees.
Lakeisha blew the huge amount of cash on a failed trucking business and “fast food and frivolities,” according to court papers.
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But the ex-Miami nightclub dancer barely made a dent in the repayments for the first five years and delayed the property’s foreclosure by filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which failed twice and is now on the third attempt.
She’s been trying to keep up with an approximate $10,000-a-month plan, but that first came unstuck in August last year when she fell behind by $13,197.
Now she’s fallen even further back and owes $36,409 on top of the monthly repayments.
After the first lapse, Judge Mindy Mora warned her that she would lose the home if she didn’t keep up with this plan.
“If the Modified Plan does not provide for payments to a secured creditor, such creditor is granted in rem stay relief to pursue available state court remedies against any property of the debtor which secures the creditor’s claim,” stated Mora’s order.
The bankruptcy trustee has now filed a motion for the case to be dismissed for non-compliance – and the judge is set to order this next Monday where it will remain to be seen if Mora will allow Lakeisha a third chance.
If it goes against Lakeisha, then the house will likely go into foreclosure and Simon isn’t the only creditor in this legal battle – there are at least 24 others, but he is the only secured creditor.
Lakeisha’s lawyer Elias Dsouza is suggesting a new five-year repayment plan – $8,241 for 25 months, $14,308 for the next four months, then $14,088 for the remaining 31 months.
In total, Simon will be paid back $610,855.
Lakeisha first started faking Richard’s signature to transfer ownership of his vehicles, which were then sold without his knowledge, a court heard.
She admitted to selling his 1999 Bluebird motor home, worth $46,000, in 2016, but claimed under oath that it was because “I was broke by my husband [who] did not help me… so I had to sell it so I can eat and my son can eat.”
She then allegedly faked Richard’s signature on the title deeds of his home and cashed his social security checks, according to court papers.
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‘ELDER ABUSE’
Richard’s son Chavoita Lesane has threatened for the last year to file an elder abuse suit against Lakeisha, which is yet to materialize.
Chavoita told The U.S. Sun in an exclusive interview, “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.
“We’re just putting all of it together, it’s a lot. This whole situation has been frustrating.”
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