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Everything related to the legendary Venus and Serena Williams is highly revered in the tennis realm. Be it their rookie cards or their childhood home, where they both grew up to become the stars they are. However, the prevailing legal and financial issues surrounding their home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, are because of their stepmother, Lakeisha Graham. This has seriously stressed Richard Williams during his lengthy legal battle. To add to that, this is not the only financial conundrum Graham is going through.

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Even before meeting Richard Williams, Graham was entangled in multiple debts and dodgy financial deals.

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The stepmother of Venus and Serena Williams seems to be bearing the consequences of multiple questionable deals

As it goes without saying, the mansion in Palm Beach Gardens holds historical value. It is the property where the two tennis legends, Venus and Serena Williams, trained and flourished. But as claimed by Richard Williams, his wife Lakeisha Graham forged his signature to transfer the property to her name. Then she went on to take a heavy mortgage on the mansion from the “hard lender” David Simon.

But this is not the only contentious financial deal that Graham has struck. Even before meeting Richard Williams, she struck up a deal of  $140,000 from Robert Davies, as reported by The Sun. In three years’ time, Davies had to file a lawsuit. However, Graham was playing a risky game. During these three years, she had already bought a three-bed place on NW 21st Ct in Fort Lauderdale. The dragged lawsuit let her pay the amount. However, this was just the beginning of a disaster.

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For the property in Fort Lauderdale, she had taken out five mortgages and the last two were from other “hard lenders”. Again, she managed to pay three of them and the last two eventually led to the property being foreclosed. Similar small and big deals led Graham to have a collection of six mortgages totaling $481,000. Out of this, she failed to pay $203,000 of it back. Seven lawsuits and $16,583 in personal debt were on her when she met Richard Williams.

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Even after being with Richard Williams, Graham did not let go of her risky and questionable financial decisions. As a consequence, the couple is now battling over the Palm Beach property.

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Richard Williams is not holding back from going against Lakeisha Graham 

The father of the tennis legends has suffered multiple strokes over the past few years. Consequently, the ailing situation is not helping him in his battle for his home. This time, he has not hidden his frustration. In an interview with The SUN, his son Chavoita LeSane narrated his father’s testimony in the court. Along with the forging of the signature, Graham took the Mercedes, money, and motorcycle, amongst other things.

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As this drama unfolds, do you think a place of such great significance should be placed on the auction table due to Graham’s mistakes? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by

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Shivali Sharma

1,442 Articles

Shivali Sharma is a Tennis Writer and Content Manager at EssentiallySports. With an extensive experience of more than 3 years in writing and content management, Shivali has authored numerous articles concerning the ‘Queen of the Court’, Serena Williams, and the ‘Big 3’, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, including their personal life, career, and more. In addition to this, Shivali is a sworn Djokovic fan who hails his grit in face of every challenge. Additionally, she roots for Jannik Sinner whose relentless gameplay she can’t help but admire. Apart from this, when she is away from writing, Shivali enjoys exploring the great outdoors through trekking and indulging in her passion for reading books.

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Tony Thomas

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