Emily Willis now: family wins $3M after rehab injury
Emily Willis now remains profoundly incapacitated after an anoxic brain injury during a 2024 stay at Summit Malibu for ketamine addiction. A Los Angeles judge has approved a $3 million settlement for the former adult film star and her mother, resolving claims that the rehab center’s care left her unable to move or communicate.
Key Takeaways
- Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Susan Bryant-Deason approved a $3 million settlement for Litzy Lara Banuelos, known as Emily Willis, and her mother, Yesenia Lara Cooper.
- Emily Willis now cannot move her body and only occasionally opens her eyes or grunts, according to court filings and her attorney.
- The lawsuit alleged Summit Malibu failed to provide appropriate care after Banuelos suffered oxygen deprivation to the brain in 2024; the facility denied wrongdoing.
- Attorneys reduced requested fees from $1.2 million to $1 million before the judge signed off on the deal.
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What is Emily Willis now able to do?
Banuelos, now 27, is described by attorney James A. Morris Jr. as “effectively frozen” after irreversible brain damage. Court filings say she sometimes opens her eyes or grunts but does not consistently respond to people around her.
She can no longer manage her own affairs, which is why a judge had to approve the settlement on her behalf. Morris has said the anoxic brain injury is one from which she will never recover.
Why did Emily Willis’s family win a $3 million settlement?
Cooper sued Summit Malibu after her daughter entered the Malibu treatment center seeking help for ketamine addiction and later suffered a medical crisis that left her permanently incapacitated. The suit, filed in December 2024, alleged neglect, abandonment, recklessness, and negligence led to irreversible brain damage and permanent incapacity.
According to The Independent, Judge Bryant-Deason approved the accord resolving claims by Banuelos and her mother. Morris wrote that the case was “no slam dunk,” noting no one knows exactly what caused the crisis or whether the facility could have prevented the injuries given Banuelos’ fragile condition on arrival.
What did Summit Malibu say about the case?
Summit Malibu denied wrongdoing. In court filings, the center argued Banuelos repeatedly refused medical advice, declined prescribed medications, and rejected recommendations to go to urgent care or a hospital.
Defense lawyers said staff lacked legal authority to force outside treatment, that Banuelos was regularly monitored, and that there was no evidence of employee negligence. Cooper’s side still contended the facility’s failures caused her daughter’s permanent injury.
Who is Emily Willis and why does this settlement matter?
Before leaving the adult film industry, Banuelos was among its best-known performers. As Emily Willis, she was Penthouse Pet of the Month in May 2019 and won multiple Adult Video News awards, including Female Performer of the Year in 2021.
The $3 million approval closes a nearly two-year legal fight over care that left a once-high-profile star unable to move or speak. It also underscores how contested medical-liability claims can be when a patient’s condition on entry is already fragile and the precise cause of collapse remains disputed.