Porn star Emily Willis left ‘permanently disabled’ after California rehab stint: suit
The family of porn star Emily Willis is suing the rehab center where she was found unconscious resulting in her sustaining permanent brain damage while at the facility for treatment for her ketamine addiction.
Summit Malibu and its parent company Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers allegedly committed adult abuse, negligence and unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business practices resulting in Willis’ vegetative state, according to court records viewed by The Post.
The 26-year-old, whose real name is Litzy Lara Banuelos, entered the rehab center for her addiction to the dissociative anesthetic drug, which she was taking 5 to 6 grams of per day, her family alleges.
Yesenia Lara Cooper – Willis’ mother, conservator and plaintiff in the lawsuit, allegedly noted that the adult film star looked underweight, weighing in at 100 pounds, but claims a consultation was never made with a dietician.
Cooper filed the suit against Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers on Dec. 27, 2024 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The Post has reached out to Summit Malibu.
Willis was suffering from several health problems including bladder inflammation, night terrors, anxiety and PTSD when she was admitted into the facility on Jan. 27, 2024, according to the lawsuit obtained by the Mirror US.
Her health allegedly deteriorated while staying at the private treatment center where she developed a urinary tract infection, was dehydrated and began suffering from intense pain.
Willis was denied care from physicians on several occasions during her stay at the rehab center. the outlet reported.
Her family claims the staff failed to provide “safe conditions” and “proper care” because she qualified as a “dependent adult,” going against the facility’s intake policies.
Willis remained at the facility for a little over a week until a nurse found her unconscious on Feb. 4, 2024, the outlet reported.
The nurse called 911 and began performing CPR.
Arriving paramedics conducted CPR for 30 to 40 minutes until they regained a heartbeat, but Willis was left in a coma because of prolonged oxygen deprivation.
The suit also alleges the staff left her unattended for “excessively long periods of time,” resulting in her being found unconscious.
“Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life,” the suit alleges. “No patient should ever be subjected to such a horrendous breakdown in clinical care. Her health was ignored until it was too late, and now her life is forever changed.”
Willis suffered a heart attack 26 hours after her collapse, leading her to a vegetative state.
Negligence from the staff left Willis with “irreversible brain damage, permanent physical and mental incapacity, pain and emotional distress—among other damages,” her family added.
She suffers from the rare neurological disorder “locked-in syndrome” that has left her completely paralyzed except for the use of her eyes.
She is also unable to communicate and is being treated at a Utah care home.
