The family of former porn star Emily Willis is suing a Los Angeles rehab center, alleging its negligent and abusive treatment caused her “irreversible brain damage.”
The 25-year-old, whose credits include “Blacked,” “Deeper” and “School Sluts,” has been left permanently disabled following a stint last year at Summit Malibu, where she was seeking treatment for ketamine addiction, according to legal documents obtained by Complex.
Willis — born Litzy Lara Banuelos — was allegedly found unconscious by a staffer on Feb. 4, but it wasn’t clear how long she’d been left unattended. According to the lawsuit, she suffered cardiac arrest at the facility.
Paramedics performed CPR for over a half hour before her heartbeat was restored, the suit states. However, oxygen deprivation allegedly left Willis in a semi-conscious state, with “irreversible brain damage and permanent physical and mental incapacity.” She’s now in a care home in Utah, unable to move or speak.
The plaintiff, her caretaker Yesenia Lara Cooper, is accusing the rehab facility and its parent company, Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, of “abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices.”
“Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life,” attorney James A. Morris Jr. charged. “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.”
According to the lawsuit, Willis was admitted to Summit Malibu on Jan. 27, 2024, after spending the previous year consuming “five to six grams” per day of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine. She also allegedly suffered from anorexia.
The suit, filed Dec. 27, 2024, is seeking “no less than the jurisdictional amount” of compensation for damages caused by her debilitation, as well as restitution and legal fees, reported E! News.
Prior to entering the rehab facility, Willis rose to fame in the adult film industry in 2018 and starred in over 700 films. She was named Penthouse Pet of the Month and won 10 AVN Awards, including Female Performer of the Year in 2021, before announcing her retirement.