There’s a new development in the lawsuit lodged against a Californian rehab center by the family of former adult star Emily Willis.
Willis – real name Litzy Lara Banuelos – retired from the adult industry after some 700 appearances to pursue mainstream acting before ending up in treatment for a ketamine addiction at Summit Malibu last January.
It was here she went into cardiac arrest which led her to become ‘permanently disabled‘.
According to a complaint filed by her mom, Yesenia Lara Cooper, Summit staff ignored Willis’ worsening symptoms, including chills, tremors, disorientation and severe pain, as her health apparently declined over several days.
Emergency services were called on February 3, 2024, but she wasn’t taken to a hospital; more than a day later she was ‘found unconscious’.
Paramedics performed up to 40 minutes of CPR before reviving her, and she remained in a ‘vegetative coma’ for two months.
Emily Willis was admitted to Summit Malibu rehab center in January, 2024 (Instagram/@emilywillisx3)
Though she eventually regained some tiny movement, Willis now suffers from ‘irreversible brain damage’ and is largely paralyzed.
Her family’s suit accuses Summit Malibu and its parent company, Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, LLC, of ‘abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices’.
On June 18, the claim moved to court for a Demurrer and Motion to Strike, which saw the defendants, Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, challenge the legal complaint.
The Demurrer, as explained by the California Courts Self-Help Guide, is a ‘procedural objection’ examining whether the complaint, even if factually accurate, lacks the legal basis to proceed.
The former adult star was wanting to carve a new career for herself (Instagram/@emilywillisx3)
Filed under California Code of Civil Procedure § 430.10, the defense claims that the lawsuit does not meet all the legal elements required to support the claims, such as negligence or wrongful conduct.
Arguments were heard by Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young on Wednesday (June 18). He ruled that Cooper must add more detailed facts to her elder/dependent-abuse claim against Summit Malibu.
The complaint only states that they had that duty; it doesn’t show how or when Summit formally agreed to provide everyday care, or how Willis was officially classified as dependent.
“Plaintiffs must allege additional facts to establish that defendants’ care rose to the level of recklessness,” Young wrote.
The case’s tentative ruling added: “The Complaint’s allegations do not establish any specific facts showing Defendants’ responsibility for meeting the basic needs of Banuelos. Instead, the Complaint alleges various conclusions regarding her dependency and the custodial relationship, or facts which simply do not show her dependency or a custodial relationship.”
Willis’ family have 30 days to file a revised complaint (Instagram/@emilywillisx3)
So, the judge upheld Summit’s demurrer, meaning the lawsuit is not allowed to move forward as is.
However, Willis’ family have 30 days to file a revised complaint, adding the missing details including exactly how she qualified as dependent and what duties Summit took on, so the case can proceed.
Failure to do so could result in the case being dismissed.
Featured Image Credit: Emily Willis/Instagram
Topics: Celebrity, Court, Emily Willis, Adult Industry
Ellie Kemp
Everything we know about Emily Willis after cardiac arrest, adult industry ‘retirement’, and legal case launched
The now 26-year-old suffered a heart attack at a rehab facility last year
After Emily Willis’ attorney gave a major update on the former adult star last week, we’ve rounded up everything we know about her health battle so far.
The former adult industry star, now 26, suffered a heart attack and fell into a ‘vegetative coma’ while staying at a rehab center last February.
She’s now ‘permanently disabled,’ with her worried family filing a lawsuit against her rehab center Summit Malibu back in January.
Willis had built up a large following after starring in more than 700 pornography videos, starting out in the industry in 2018.
She had been taking five to six grams of ketamine a day a year before heart attack
Experts believed Emily Willis could’ve been suffering from ‘locked-in syndrome’ (emilywillisx3/Instagram)
On January 27 2024, Willis sought help for her ‘ketamine addiction’ from drug rehabilitation center Summit Malibu in Los Angeles.
The lawsuit filed by her family explains how the former ‘Female Performer of the Year’ ingested some ‘five to six grams’ of the drug every day for a year.
After checking into the facility, her health is alleged to have rapidly deteriorated.
She was barely eating, showering or even getting dressed, the lawsuit details – adding that in one instance, a nurse was unable to take her blood pressure due to ‘dehydration’.
Willis apparently wasn’t taken to hospital right away
Emily Willis suffered a cardiac arrest (GoFundMe)
On February 3, emergency services were called, but Willis was reportedly not taken to hospital; 26 hours later, she was ‘found unconscious’, though it wasn’t clear how long she was left unattended.
Nurses and paramedics performed CPR for 30 to 40 minutes until they restored her heartbeat, yet the lawsuit states the lengthly time she was left without oxygen caused ‘irreversible brain damage’.
She’d fallen into a ‘vegetative coma’
Willis – real name Litzy Lara Banuelos – fell into a ‘vegetative coma’ following the unexpected cardiac arrest.
She didn’t wake from it until three months later in May.
Willis had retired from adult industry
Her brother, Michael, revealed in a March 2024 update on Willis’ GoFundMe that she’d retired from the adult industry almost two years ago – so, sometime in 2022.
Michael said she had ‘aspirations of success in other fields of entertainment,’ adding: “Those who worked with her in her new career path knew she had the potential to achieve her dreams.”
Willis was cast in the 2023 Eddie Alcazar movie Divinity, which she was keen to promote via her Instagram.
Family lawsuit alleges rehab center ‘negligence’
Emily’s family have taken legal action against the rehab center (Instagram/Emily Willis)
Legal action is now being taken against Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, which owns the rehab facility she visited, with the family of Willis claiming its staff ‘failed’ to take appropriate action as her health plummeted over the course of several days in its care.
The complaint states the rehab ‘failed’ to provide her with adequate care up until the incident, amounting to ‘neglect, abandonment, recklessness and negligence’, and that staff should have known her health was at risk based on her medical history and assessments.
It states Willis was subjected to an ‘unsafe environment’ and was ‘left unattended and unassisted for excessively long periods of time’.
“Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life,” claimed Attorney James A. Morris, of Morris Law Firm – the team representing Willis and her guardian.
Willis is now home
After spending months in hospital, Willis is now being cared for by her mom in Utah, Morris said in an update to the Daily Star.
However, she still needs to return to hospital ‘from time to time’ to ‘have more care than she can receive at home.’
Willis can now ‘move her body’
The former adult star was wanted to carve a new career for herself (Instagram/Emily Willis)
Despite being declared ‘permanently disabled,’ Morris confirmed Willis can now ‘move her body somewhat’.
He revealed: “She does make outward noises from time to time, she does move her body around some, but her eyes do move, she does track, whether or not she’s understanding exactly what’s going on is hard for us to determine, I don’t know.
“We are retaining a physiatrist to work as an expert witness on our case who will go to Utah examine her and hopefully be able to give us more info about his expert opinion to what extent she understands what’s happening around her.”
Willis’ family is waiting for locked-in syndrome results
While it was previously speculated Willis could’ve developed locked-in syndrome – a rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of voluntary muscles, except for those that control your eyes – Morris confirmed she ‘hasn’t been diagnosed yet’.
Willis’ family is waiting on medical results for ‘locked-in syndrome’ (Instagram/Emily Willis)
“I will preface that by saying we have not received the medical records […] yet,” he told the publication. “But yes, we are investigating that and drilling down on that. We are aware that it is certainly a possibility.”
The star has lost ‘a great deal of weight’
Willis is also physically ‘not in good shape’ after losing ‘a great deal of weight’ and not being able to move much, Morris explained.
Despite this, he remained hopeful and spoke of Willis’ determination.
He resolved: “Her physical condition is not good, her mental condition is unknown, but she’s still here. I think that in and of itself says something about her resilience and her desire to live.
“And with modern medicine and the advances that we have in science, we can all hope that Litzy gets back to the functioning level that makes her life worthwhile.”
UNILAD has previously contacted Summit Malibu for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/emilywillisx3
Topics: Emily Willis, Adult Industry, US News, Celebrity, Health
Ellie Kemp
Emily Willis’s attorney shares new update after former adult star left ‘permanently disabled’ following devastating health struggles
The former adult actress suffered a cardiac arrest after being admitted to rehab last year
Emily Willis’ attorney has issued a major update on the former adult star after she was left ‘permanently disabled’ from going into cardiac arrest at a rehab center.
The film star joined the adult industry in 2018 after dating GirlsDoPorn director, Andre Garcia, and went on to star in more than 700 pornographic films.
But Willis, 26, had been admitted to Summit Malibu rehab center in February 2024 for ‘ketamine addiction’, having ingested some ‘five to six grams’ of the drug every day for a year.
It was there that she experienced a cardiac arrest and fell into a ‘vegetative coma’.
Willis – real name Litzy Lara Banuelos – was found unconscious on February 4 for an unspecified amount of time, with paramedics attempting to restart her heart for 30 to 40 minutes.
Emily Willis suffered a cardiac arrest last year (GoFundMe)
Her family have since filed a lawsuit which states the lengthly time she was left without oxygen caused ‘irreversible brain damage’.
The legal action, lodged in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Willis suffered ‘permanent physical and mental incapacity’, and accuses the rehab facility of the ‘abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices’.
Willis is now semi-conscious and is being cared for by her mom at home.
And since, her attorney, James A. Morris from Morris Law Firm, has issued a major update on Willis’ health.
Morris confirmed she can now ‘move her body somewhat’ and make outward noises.’
Willis is now being taken care of by her mom (Instagram/emilywillisx3)
In an interview with the Daily Star, he revealed: “She does make outward noises from time to time, she does move her body around some, but her eyes do move, she does track, whether or not she’s understanding exactly what’s going on is hard for us to determine, I don’t know.”
He added: “We are retaining a physiatrist to work as an expert witness on our case who will go to Utah examine her and hopefully be able to give us more info about his expert opinion to what extent she understands what’s happening around her.”
Morris also said that despite now being under her mom’s care, Willis needs to return to hospital ‘from time to time’ to ‘have more care than she can receive at home.’
And while it was previously speculated Willis could’ve developed locked-in syndrome – a rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of voluntary muscles, except for those that control your eyes – Morris confirmed she ‘hasn’t been diagnosed yet’.
“I will preface that by saying we have not received the medical records […] yet,” he told the publication. “But yes, we are investigating that and drilling down on that. We are aware that it is certainly a possibility.”
It’s yet to be confirmed whether Willis has locked-in syndrome (emilywillisx3/Instagram)
The star is also physically ‘not in good shape’ after losing ‘a great deal of weight’ and not being able to move much, Morris explained.
Despite this, he remained hopeful and spoke of Willis’ determination.
“…Her physical condition is not good, her mental condition is unknown, but she’s still here. I think that in and of itself says something about her resilience and her desire to live.”
He resolved: “And with modern medicine and the advances that we have in science, we can all hope that Litzy gets back to the functioning level that makes her life worthwhile.”
UNILAD has previously contacted Sumit Malibu for comment.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Unique Nicole
Topics: Adult Industry, Celebrity, Drugs, Health, US News, Emily Willis
Ellie Kemp
Former adult film star Emily Willis ‘may never move again’ after suffering cardiac arrest 7 months ago
Emily Willis suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this year
Former adult film star Emily Willis ‘may never move again’, according to a doctor who has weighed in on the 25-year-old’s mysterious condition.
Earlier this year, the porn star suffered an unexpected cardiac arrest, which followed eight days in rehab, according to her stepfather Michael.
Emily’s family provided an update on her health in May, saying she had come out of a ‘vegetative coma’.
Her family wrote on a fundraiser: “Recently, Emily’s world, and ours, was turned upside down when she was admitted to the hospital, marking the beginning of an incredibly tough and unforeseen battle.
Emily Willis suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this year (GoFundMe)
“With every ounce of her remarkable strength and bravery, Emily is fighting.”
A recent update revealed Emily remains unable to speak and currently tracks objects with her eyes.
Other than that, health updates regarding the former adult film star have been few and far between, though one medical expert has provided his thoughts on Emily’s condition.
Programme Lead for Medical Science at the University of Chester in the UK, Dr Gareth Nye, told the Daily Star: “What we are seeing here is the damage to the brain following a lack of oxygen after the cardiac arrest.
“It is encouraging to see that she seems to be conscious, recognises people and can track with her eyes. However, it is highly likely she is suffering from a condition called locked-in syndrome.”
Emily Willis was first admitted to hospital in February (Unique Nicole/Getty Images)
As for Emily’s condition, the former adult film star ‘may never move again’.
“She may never recover past this stage and that is the more likely outcome,” Dr Nye explained.
“Being able to fully move and gain normality is extremely unlikely and would take years of intensive work to make any progress. It all depends on her specific damage. There are some very exceptional cases which have seen patients go on to make a recovery.”
A GoFundMe page set up by Emily’s family allows fans to ‘support Emily Willis’ journey to recovery’.
The description reads: “The path to recovery stretches far ahead of her, requiring lots of care. The weight of this position extends beyond the emotional and physical; it bears down upon us financially.
“With mounting medical bills, the necessities of travel, all while the regular flow of life’s expenses continue.
“Every donation, no matter its size, will go directly towards easing these burdens, allowing us to devote our energy and resources to Emily’s healing.”
