"I just want a divorce, it's been 6 years" - When Serena Williams' father Richard rued legal battle with estranged wife over legend's childhood home

Serena Williams' father Richard once laid bare his frustrations regarding his prolonged legal battle with his estranged wife Lakeisha. The couple has been embroiled in a dispute over Richard's Florida home.

Lakeisha is Richard Williams' third wife, with whom he shares a son named Dylan. He married his first wife, Betty Johnson, in 1965. They had five children together before divorcing in 1973. Subsequently, in 1980, Richard tied the knot with Oracene Price, the mother of Venus and Serena Williams, and they divorced in 2002.

Richard Williams then married Lakeisha Graham in 2010. Although the couple filed for divorce in 2017, they have since been locked in a bitter legal battle over the Williams family home.

Throughout their marriage, the couple resided together in the home where Venus and Serena Williams were raised in Palm Beach, Florida. However, the house's ownership was transferred solely into Lakeisha's name in 2017, with Richard alleging that she acquired the deed for just $10 after forging his signature.

While Richard filed a lawsuit to reclaim the home, Lakeisha claimed that it was a part of his child support obligations for their son. She also declared bankruptcy in 2022 to stop the sale of the house, which was being sold to repay the $279,000 home loan she took from a "hard lender."

In an interview with The U.S. Sun in January 2023, Richard Williams emphasized that he would be "happy" regardless of whether he got the house back or not.

"If I do get the house, it'll be okay. If I don't get the house, that's quite okay, either way, up or down, we'll be happy," he said.

However, he expressed frustration over lengthy divorce proceedings, asserting that he was tired of the ordeal.

"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," he added.

Serena Williams' father Richard swore off dating amid legal battle with estranged wife Lakeisha: "I don't trust women anymore"

Serena Williams with her father Richard

In the same interview, Serena Williams' father Richard expressed his intention to avoid dating amid his legal battle with his estranged wife, Lakeisha, citing his lack of "trust" in women.

"Dating? Too many women like me, but I don't want to do it anymore. I don't trust women anymore. I just want to keep to myself, I might live a quieter life."

The American also attributed his change of heart regarding relationships to becoming a Jehovah's Witness.

"Before following Jehovah, I had a lot of women, too many women .... from America, outside of America, and so on and on," he added. "Since becoming a Jehovah's witness years ago, I've focused on just one woman, I had too much junk in my life."

Despite Serena Williams' father Richard's eagerness to finalize the divorce proceedings with Lakeisha, he persuaded a Florida judge to dismiss the case in April 2024. He requested missing a court date due to his fear of being misunderstood, as his strokes had caused speech problems.