Emily Willis’ attorney has provided a significant update on the former adult actress after she was left ‘permanently disabled’ following a cardiac arrest at a rehabilitation facility.
The actress entered the adult film industry in 2018 after dating GirlsDoPorn director Andre Garcia and appeared in over 700 adult films.
However, in February 2024, Willis, 26, was admitted to the Summit Malibu rehab center for ‘ketamine addiction,’ having consumed approximately ‘five to six grams’ of the substance daily for a year.
While there, she suffered a cardiac arrest and lapsed into a ‘vegetative coma.’
Willis, whose real name is Litzy Lara Banuelos, was discovered unconscious on February 4 for an unspecified period, with emergency responders trying to revive her heart for 30 to 40 minutes.
Her family has since initiated a lawsuit, claiming the prolonged period she was deprived of oxygen resulted in ‘irreversible brain damage.’
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Willis has suffered ‘permanent physical and mental incapacity’ and accuses the rehab center of ‘abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence, and fraudulent business practices.’
Willis is currently semi-conscious and receiving care from her mother at home.
James A. Morris of Morris Law Firm, her attorney, has shared a significant update regarding Willis’ condition.
Morris stated she is able to ‘move her body somewhat’ and produce sounds.
In a conversation with the Daily Star, he explained: “She does make outward noises from time to time, she does move her body around some, but her eyes do move, she does track, whether or not she’s understanding exactly what’s going on is hard for us to determine, I don’t know.”
He further noted: “We are retaining a physiatrist to work as an expert witness on our case who will go to Utah examine her and hopefully be able to give us more info about his expert opinion to what extent she understands what’s happening around her.”
Morris also mentioned that despite being under her mother’s care, Willis occasionally needs to return to the hospital for ‘more comprehensive care than she can receive at home.’
Although there was previous speculation that Willis may have developed locked-in syndrome—a rare neurological disorder marked by complete paralysis of voluntary muscles except for those controlling the eyes—Morris confirmed she ‘hasn’t been diagnosed yet.’
“I will preface that by saying we have not received the medical records […] yet,” he told the publication. “But yes, we are investigating that and drilling down on that. We are aware that it is certainly a possibility.”
Morris described her physical condition as ‘not in good shape,’ having lost ‘a significant amount of weight’ and having limited mobility.
Despite these challenges, Morris expressed optimism about Willis’ fortitude.
“…Her physical condition is not good, her mental condition is unknown, but she’s still here. I think that in and of itself says something about her resilience and her desire to live.”
He concluded: “And with modern medicine and the advances that we have in science, we can all hope that Litzy gets back to the functioning level that makes her life worthwhile.”
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