Serena and Venus Williams’ dad Richard Williams has filed for divorce from his wife of 7 years, Lakeisha Williams.
In court papers filed in West Palm Beach, Fla. this week, Williams accused his 38-year-old estranged wife of forging his name on legal documents to transfer ownership of his home and cars into her name.
Williams also accused Lakeisha of stealing his social security checks and running off with a man who has “serious felony criminal charges” pending against him.
He said Lakeisha moved out last year and left their 5-year-old son, Dylan, in his exclusive care. He says Lakeisha misses scheduled visits with her son, picks him up late and she returns him after midnight.
Williams said Lakeisha left him for a man who “could pose a danger to the minor child.”
But Lakeisha’s Miami lawyer, Sandy Becher, called Williams’ allegations “outrageous”.
“We categorically deny each and all the allegations he has made in the petition,” Becher told UK’s Daily Mail. “When the issues come before the court, they’ll be proven to be patently false.”
The divorce petition alleged that Lakeisha, a former nursing assistant, was addicted to alcohol.
Williams trained his superstar daughters Serena and Venus Williams to be world class tennis stars at a time when tennis was out of reach for inner city black youths in California.
Serena, 35, is expecting her first child with fiancé, Reddit.com co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Venus, who turns 37 on Saturday, was the first to dominate women’s tennis until her younger, much more athletic sister surpassed her.
Photos by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, Manuela Davies/Getty Images
