The legal team of popular adult star Emily Willis have given an update on her health situation after she was left permanently disabled.
Willis was a huge name in the world of pornography before she suffered a serious cardiac arrest in 2024 while attending a rehab centre in California.
The 26-year-old, whose real name is Litzy Lara Banuelos, was referred to Malibu Summit in January 2024 due to a drug addiction.
Her condition continued to worsen during her time at the rehab centre, and despite emergency services being called in early February, she was still not taken to hospital amid worrying symptoms which included hot/cold chills, tremors, increased heart rate, headaches, feeling ‘disorientated’ and difficulty walking.
The next day, the adult star was found unconscious by staff and it took paramedics between 30 and 40 minutes to restore her heartbeat, during which time she suffered irreversible brain damage.
When she finally woke in hospital, she was tragically in a ‘vegetative state’ where she was fully conscious but couldn’t move or speak, which led some to believe she was suffering from ‘locked-in syndrome’.
Emily Willis remains bedridden (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Willis’ mother, Yesenia Cooper, has since launched a lawsuit against the centre, accusing the company of ‘abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices’.
And now, James A. Morris, Jr, the lawyer representing her mother in the legal proceedings, has provided the latest update on the American actress and her health.
He said: “She remains bedridden due to her neurological injuries.”
However, he did confirm that while she is still unable to speak, she can make some sounds and has some limited body movement, which represents a significant improvement.
But with a diagnosis still not confirmed, he did admit that locked-in syndrome was still a possibility, while she has also lost more weight and will be permanently paralysed.
Willis was one of the biggest names in the adult industry (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The lawyer also claimed that Willis was not seeking help for a ketamine addiction when she first entered the facility, as first thought, as she had already stopped using the drug before she arrived.
Morris also gave more details about the legal case, suggesting: “They should’ve transferred her to a hospital earlier and let the doctors put a feeding tube in her and treat her properly while she was still (coherent) and speaking and walking.
“Instead, they allowed her to have a say in her medical treatment, which is not what you do with somebody who is in severe health danger. She was in a very brittle place.”
However, the rehab centre has claimed that they couldn’t transport her to a hospital without her consent, with court documents stating: “It is undisputed that during her stay, (Willis) had refused to follow medical recommendations and take her medications. She refused to go to urgent care or the hospital voluntarily, despite being encouraged to do so by (Summit Malibu).”
