The mother of adult star Emily Willis has 30 days to meet a deadline, or the court case surrounding her condition could fall apart.
Willis, real name Litzy Lara Banuelos, was plunged into a life-altering health crisis after suffering cardiac arrest at Summit Malibu.
Now 26, the former adult film star is reportedly in a vegetative state - or possibly living with locked-in syndrome.
Willis had checked into Summit Malibu on January 27, 2024, to treat a ketamine addiction, after consuming five to six grams daily and already facing severe side effects including urinary incontinence, night terrors, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and PTSD.
Court records allege she quickly showed signs of decline: becoming “disheveled, frail, and disoriented; barely eating, not showering or dressed; suffered aches, tremors, spasms, weakness, appeared to be in pain, and experienced vaginal pain.”
A nurse reportedly could not measure her blood pressure due to dehydration.
On February 4, a nurse practitioner discovered Willis unconscious; paramedics performed CPR for 30 to 40 minutes, restoring her heartbeat but at the cost of irreversible brain damage.
Loved ones describe her as permanently disabled - unable to speak or move, but conscious and able to track with her eyes.
Her family filed a suit against Summit Malibu and its parent, Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, accusing the center of elder/dependent adult abuse, professional negligence, fraudulent business practices, and more, per the Daily Mail.
They allege staff ignored her deteriorating health until it was “too late,” imposing her “irreversible brain damage and permanent physical and mental incapacity, pain, suffering and emotional distress”.
A lawyer for the family, James A. Morris Jr., explained in court that staff left critical decisions - like going to urgent care - to someone in excruciating pain and incapable of self-care.
Under the current legal pressure, Summit Malibu attorneys filed a motion to strike key allegations, claiming the plaintiff failed to show the center met any “basic needs” duty while Willis (at the time) wasn’t clearly a “dependent adult.”
Santa Monica Judge Mark A. Young has allowed 30 days for Emily’s mother, Yesenia Cooper, to produce additional facts substantiating the elder/dependent abuse claim, without which that part of the case could collapse, per the Daily Star.
In the months since, the family reports small but crucial progress. Though locked-in syndrome remains incurable, Willis now “can move her body somewhat” and “make outward noises.”
She was recently moved from the rehab facility into her mother’s home, where Cooper continues to care for her with intermittent hospital visits.
While she may track objects with her eyes and possibly understand her surroundings, her comprehension remains uncertain.
Still, the legal fight continues.
A court filing stated: “Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life… Her health was ignored until it was too late, and now her life is forever changed.”
Meanwhile, Summit Malibu maintains the dependent-abuse claim is legally insufficient and seeks to dismiss it unless more evidence is provided.
The next 30 days will be pivotal: if Cooper fails to detail exactly how the facility breached its duty of care to a clearly dependent resident, the elder/dependent abuse portion of the lawsuit may be struck, and the family’s efforts to hold Summit accountable significantly weakened.