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CHANGE OF HEART
King Richard’s son breaks silence on dad’s reunion with estranged wife after divorce dismissed & home saved from auction
Chavoita LeSane spoke to The U.S. Sun on his dad's rollercoaster marriage
"KING" Richard Williams' son has spoken of his dad's surprise romantic reunion with his estranged wife - who saved their marital home from auction to pay off her colossal debts.
Serena Williams' stepmom Lakeisha admitted in court documents to forging her husband's signature to transfer the house into her name.
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Lakeisha claimed she did so to feed their son, Dylan, after Richard left her with no way to put food on the table.
His counsel denied the claim at the time, and Richard went through years of battling through the courts to try and divorce his third wife amid claims she'd also stolen his security checks and vehicles.
Richard, 82, filed back in 2017 in Florida, seven years after tying the knot with Lakeisha, 45.
Back in September 2022, his son Chavoita posted on Instagram, "It's shameful what he is going through caused by Lekeisha.
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"Hopefully, she will get what is due to her - prison time for elderly abuse and forgery."
He also told The U.S. Sun he wanted his dad to get a divorce as quickly as possible as she was taking advantage of him.
But after Richard had the divorce suddenly dismissed earlier this year, the family has welcomed her back into the fold.
Chavoita previously said his dad only called it off because of health problems, but it has since emerged he is back in a "romantic and sexual relationship" with his estranged wife, according to her lawyer.
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She was set to lose their former marital home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida this week after she failed to pay off a loan and found herself owing more than $436,000.
But the auction was canceled at the last minute after she mysteriously managed to pay off the huge sum.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, Chavoita said, "The house is safe and sound. Keisha worked a miracle. She satisfied the debt, whatever it was that was reported. I have no clue how, I'm told it wasn't from my dad."
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"He wanted to keep it in the family so he's happy regardless," Chavoita went on.
"I'm not sure what's going on with those two. My dad's like the wind at times. I've been buried in my own world.
"But everybody was pretty happy so that's just how I see it right now.
"It’s not the same energy when he spoke to you, not at all.
"If he changes his mind and does want a divorce he can just call me and tell me. The lawyer's on standby.
"I don't know if this is the ending or the beginning for those two. But my dad is happy and that's all that matters."
My dad's like the wind at times."
'King' Richard's son
A source claimed the funds did not come from Serena.
Lakeisha previously alleged in court documents that the retired tennis champ threatened to change the locks if she did not vacate the home.
At the time, Serena's rep declined to comment on the claim.
Ironically, her elderly father and Lakeisha, a former stripper, are now living in a new home just minutes from their old crumbling property, which is in Serena's name.
Richard and Lakeisha's Divorce Timeline
Photo credit: Getty
Richard Williams has been keen to finalize his divorce from Lakeisha Graham for years but their case has dragged out amid a fight over their marital home.
The couple married in 2010 when Lakeisha was 32 and Richard was 69.
Williams is a hands-on father to their young son, Dylan, known as Junior, and has tried to maintain a good relationship with his ex despite the court case.
May 2017
- Richard filed for divorce from Lakeisha 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.
March 2020
- Court documents revealed excerpts from Lakeisha's testimony, in which she admits to forging her ex's signature and also selling his 1999 Bluebird Wanderlodge Motor Coach, worth $45,000. But she claimed she did so as he had left her and their son to starve, which his legal team denied.
February 2022
- 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 at the time did not respond to requests for comment.
June 2022
- Richard filed a $1 million lawsuit against Lakeisha, despite her claiming in court documents they had reconciled and had been sleeping together again, which he later denied.
July 2022
- Their home was valued at $1.45 million and was due to be auctioned off, but Lakeisha filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and stalled the sale. The bankruptcy case was dismissed on July 5 but she filed to have it reinstated claiming she had found money for a repayment plan. She was in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt after taking out a huge loan from a hard lender and not paying it back.
January 2023
- The U.S. Sun sat 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 feels 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 he didn't seem to be getting any closer to finalizing it and his lawsuit was tossed out by a judge.
August 2023
- It was revealed Lakeisha was struggling to keep up with her repayment plan as she battled to keep the house, where she was said to be living despite it needing extensive repair work.
April 2024
- Richard missed a court date and deposition as he suffers from speech problems due to strokes, and didn't want to be misunderstood. As a result, he had the case dismissed but planned to refile. Lakeisha tried for months to stave off the house being sold at auction by filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy three times, but each attempt failed.
July 2024
- Richard's son Chavoita confirms he is no longer pursuing a divorce and the pair are "happy" after reconciling. It comes days after she managed to somehow settle her $436,000 debt to save their former marital home from auction.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Lakeisha's bankruptcy lawyer Elias Dsouza for comment on how she settled the debt but did not hear back.
That debt, at one stage, was over $600,000 after she failed to stick to a repayment plan.
She had repeatedly attempted to file for bankruptcy to try and save the house but her efforts failed before she managed to stump up the cash.
The property means a lot to the family as it's where Serena and Venus were trained on the tennis courts by their father before becoming sporting superstars.
Divorce attorney Sara Lawrence previously slammed Chavoita insisting he is not a blood relative and has been "interfering" in Richard and Lakeisha's lives.
Chavoita declined to comment on how he is related to Serena and Venus's father but has always been by his side, while Richard himself previously told The U.S. Sun he was desperate for a divorce.
He accused Lakeisha of "taking everything," adding, "I just want a divorce. It's been six years, man. Just a bunch of junk, junk, junk."
But it now seems he's had a change of heart.
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Lawrence said in a statement after it was dismissed, "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."
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