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Serena Williams’ ailing dad Richard, 82, refuses to give up his ‘passion’ driving despite speeding fine & doctor warning
Richard Williams is still allowed to drive in Florida despite his age
SERENA Williams' father - who was caught speeding last month - will not give up driving despite also being warned by a doctor, The U.S. Sun can reveal.
Richard Williams was cited after being pulled over on July 12 in Palm Beach, Florida.
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He was driving a new silver Volkswagen truck and was fined $131 for driving 44mph in a 35mph zone, which was clocked by a police laser gun, according to court documents.
Some years ago, his primary care physician, Dr. Monica Walker, wrote a letter to the courts during his divorce proceedings with his wife, Lakeisha Williams.
She explained her assessment of "King Richard's" mental capacity and said he shouldn't be on the road.
She wrote, "You have had problems with driving and directions. We discussed this and you stated you now have a driver.
"Time, place, and person comprehension have not been part of your memory difficulty. However, driving demands quick decisions in situations of uncertainty.
"You are advised not to drive because you do not have the ability to do this."
Despite Dr. Walker's plea, Richard's son, Chavoita LeSane, said he is now well enough to drive after his health improved and joked he's too stubborn to give up driving.
He admitted he got some stick for speeding, but said, "My dad loves to drive, it's his passion. He would never give up his license, it will be a sad day for him when he's unable to pass the test.
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"He's not going to change, and he has about a year and a half until he has to renew again."
Driving laws vary by state, and some have restrictions for motorists over the age of 70.
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In Florida, Richard is allowed to drive, but he must renew his license every six years and take a vision test if he is over 80.
The U.S. Sun understands that Richard regularly takes his young son, Dylan, 12, to and from school and even drives long distances and across state lines on family trips.
Richard had three strokes in the past but had "brain surgery" some years ago, after the warning from Dr. Walker.
Although he still struggles with his speech, his family insists he's well enough to get behind the wheel.
"The doctors in Miami did an amazing job, especially with his neuralgia/brain surgery," Chavoita previously said.
"He drives again now and cares for himself mostly, he's truly blessed."
Microvascular decompression (MVD) relieves "abnormal compression of a cranial nerve causing trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, or hemifacial spasm", according to online health sites.
It involves opening the skull and inserting a sponge between the nerve and artery, triggering the pain signals.
The brain itself is untouched during the procedure, as doctors access the membrane covering the brain.
Richard is now in a good place and is back in a relationship with his wife, Lakeisha, despite a years-long legal battle after he filed for divorce in 2017.
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.
In court documents, Lakeisha admitted to faking his signature on the deed of their four-bed mansion in Florida to take out a $279,000 loan with hard lender David Simon.
Richard's grave health issues first came to light during Lakeisha's lawsuit with Simon, who was demanding his huge loan back.
At one point, her debt reached $600,000 with attorney fees and interests.
It looked like the house would have to be sold at auction two weeks ago, but at the last minute, the debt was repaid in full to Simon - and now the case has been closed.
The U.S. Sun revealed that the house has since been sold to a mystery owner with links to Lakeisha.
It is thought she had someone close to her buy the property to save it from going up for auction.
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.
"He wanted to keep it in the family so he's happy regardless."
Lakeisha is living with her Richard in a four-bed home just minutes from their old property which is in Serena's name.
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But Lakeisha cannot gain control of it; she would have to get past Serena and Chavoita.
Richard has signed a nine-page power of attorney document giving Chavoita full control of his assets, including property and bank accounts.
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