WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Venus Williams fought hard on the tennis court this week, making history by becoming the oldest woman to ever reach the fourth round of Wimbledon. But her attorneys on Friday were fighting for her in court.
The athlete is being sued for a deadly crash last month in Palm Beach County. The victim's attorney told the judge that they want to collect evidence from her vehicle as soon as possible.
"We're confident the evidence will show Ms. Williams was at fault," the attorney said.
New surveillance video shows Williams entered the intersection "lawfully."Â
Williams is being sued for the crash that killed Jerome Barson, 78, and seriously injured his wife in Palm Beach Gardens last month.
Police said Williams, who was driving her Toyota Sequoia, had a green light as she drove into an intersection, but ended up in the middle when the light turned red because of traffic.
The crash report stated that when Williams was able to drive forward, she stepped into the right of way of an oncoming car, causing the fatal crash.
"As a result of the crash, a grandfather is now gone forever," the attorney said.
Both sides set dates to collect important data evidence from both vehicles involved in the accident.
The judge ruled that the data evidence will start being collected next week.
Williams broke down earlier this week when asked about the case by a reporter at Wimbledon.
"There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating … I'm completely speechless," she said.
The victim's attorney said he wants justice for the man's family.
"We look forward to holding Ms. Williams accountable for the harm caused to everybody by her decisions," he said.
Williams' attorney was nowhere to be found after the hearing, slipping out through a back door in the courtroom to avoid the media.
Police have not charged or cited Williams for the crash.