Lakeisha Williams, the stepmother of tennis stars Venus and Serena, could be about to lose the Williams sisters’ childhood home in Florida after filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy for the second time, a move her main creditor is again opposing.
Lakeisha was married to Richard Willams in 2009, seven years after Richard divorced Venus and Serena’s mother, Oracene Price. Lakeisha and Richard have one son and split in 2017.
Bankruptcy again?
The house where the tennis stars grew up, reportedly needing repairs, could be put up on the auction block soon because the stepmom has failed to repay significant portions of her debts, Radar reported.
Accused of mishandling her repayments of loans and not maintaining the property located in Palm Beach Gardens, Lakeisha has filed for another Chapter 13 bankruptcy in an attempt to retain the four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 3,422-square-foot home. She filed Chapter 13 protection once before and was denied.
Radar reported that she listed assets totaling $682,000 and liabilities in the amount of $491,000.
Who Does Lakeisha Owe Money To?
Lakeisha has owed lender David Simon $472,000 since February 2017 after she allegedly forged Richard’s handwriting and took ownership of the house.
The first time she filed for Chapter 13 was back in February. The creditor had previously blocked efforts to declare bankruptcy, stating Lakeisha had not presented a plan to repay the money.
Simon has since filed a lien against the property, preventing her bankruptcy filings from allowing her to keep the house.
It is also worth noting that Lakeisha borrowed $127,000 to launch a trucking business. However, the business venture flopped and Lakeisha only repaid $25,000.
“No matter how much money her trucking business generates every month, she spends all of her income every month without paying a dollar to the secured creditor,” Radar reports Simon said in a court filing opposing Lakeisha renewed attempt to seek bankruptcy protection.
Second Chapter 13 Attempt Being Blocked
Simon is once again trying to block Lakeisha from being approved for Chapter 13. He is claiming the house is in total disrepair.
“The collateral is in jeopardy of total loss,” he said. David pleaded with the court to not allow Lakeisha another shot and for the home to be foreclosed on.
A judge has yet to determine her reinstatement.
Facing Lawsuit From Richard
In June, Richard sued Lakeisha for $1 million. Richard has always blamed his ex-wife for nearly losing the Florida home, Meaww reported. Richard claims in court documents that Lakeisha remortgaged the house by faking his signatures. He alleges she gave up the home for just $10.
Richard is seeking money from the property sale to go directly to him, according to the suit filed at U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Florida.
Richard’s lawyer Thomas Gruseck states in the court documents that, “The defendant, Lakeisha Williams, is one hundred percent at fault, by virtue of her improper actions as set forth above, for the encumbrance reducing the net value of the Plaintiff’s subject property by virtue of the mortgage in favor of David Simon.”
