Former adult film star Emily Willis, once one of the industry’s biggest names, is making gradual progress more than two years after suffering irreversible brain damage during a stay at a luxury Malibu rehabilitation facility, her mother told reporters this week. The update comes days after a Los Angeles judge approved a $3 million settlement in the family’s negligence lawsuit against the center.
Willis, whose real name is Litzy Lara Banuelos and who is now 27, entered Summit Malibu in late January 2024 seeking treatment for a severe ketamine addiction. According to court filings, she had been using five to six grams of the drug daily for about a year. Within days of admission, her condition reportedly declined sharply. She became frail, disoriented, dehydrated, and unable to walk, eat, or care for herself. Family attorneys later alleged the facility failed to provide adequate monitoring and medical intervention.
On the afternoon of February 4, 2024, a nurse found Willis unresponsive in her room—not breathing, without a pulse, eyes open and pupils fixed. The clinician assigned to check on her every 15 minutes had left for lunch roughly half an hour earlier and did not return for nearly an hour, according to the complaint. Staff began CPR, and paramedics continued resuscitation efforts for 30 to 60 minutes before restoring a pulse. The prolonged oxygen deprivation caused an anoxic brain injury. Toxicology tests showed no drugs in her system at the time, and doctors never determined the exact trigger of the cardiac arrest.
Willis spent weeks in intensive care and emerged from a coma with profound neurological damage. For much of the following two years she remained largely immobilized, nonverbal except for occasional grunts, and dependent on around-the-clock care. Her attorney, James A. Morris Jr., previously described her as “effectively frozen,” noting that she sometimes opened her eyes or tracked movement but did not consistently respond. She has undergone more than 10 surgeries related to the injury and its complications.
In December 2024, Willis’s mother and legal guardian, Yesenia Cooper, sued Malibu Lighthouse Treatment, the company that operates Summit Malibu. The complaint alleged professional negligence, failure to properly monitor a vulnerable patient, and related claims. The facility denied wrongdoing, arguing that Willis had repeatedly refused medical advice and hospital transfer, and that staff lacked authority to force treatment. The case settled ahead of a planned trial. On July 15, 2026, Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Susan Bryant-Deason approved the $3 million agreement. After attorney fees and liens, Willis is expected to receive approximately $1.25 million, funds that will be managed by her mother for her long-term care. The defendants did not admit liability.
This week Cooper offered the most detailed public update on her daughter’s condition. Speaking to TMZ, she said Willis remains nonverbal but can now communicate through eye movements and by nodding or shaking her head. She understands roughly 80 percent of what is happening around her. Willis is relearning to walk with assistance, still requires help being fed, and has regained the ability to sleep independently. She has also resumed watching movies and television programs she once enjoyed. Cooper described her daughter as “getting better day by day” and “still fighting to live the best life possible.”
Willis is currently receiving specialized therapy in Mexico. The family hopes to travel to Spain for additional neurological procedures designed to stimulate the brain systems that control speech, communication, and movement.
Before the injury, Willis had built a high-profile career in adult entertainment. She was named Penthouse Pet of the Month in May 2019 and won the 2021 AVN Female Performer of the Year award, along with numerous other industry honors. The settlement provides financial support for her ongoing medical needs, but the underlying brain damage remains permanent. Recovery, her mother emphasized, continues to be slow and incomplete.
