Emily Willis will receive just a fraction of the $3 million her family has been awarded in a settlement after being left ‘permanently disabled.’
The former adult film star was the victim of a ‘horrendous breakdown in clinical care’ while attending the Summit Malibu rehab facility, a lawsuit filed by her family in December 2024 claimed.
Willis, 27, was being treated for ketamine addiction – as she was consuming ‘five to six grams’ of it a day – but, the lawsuit alleged, her health deteriorated quickly after checking into the facility in January 2024.
A settlement has been reached which has awarded Willis and her family $3 million. The defendants denied wrongdoing and did not admit liability.
TMZ reports Willis is expected to receive approximately $1.25 million of that sum after attorney fees and liens.
It’s reported her mother will remain as her conservator.
Speaking in the wake of the settlement being reached earlier in July, attorney James A Morris Jr said in a court declaration: “Having lived and breathed this case for nearly two years, I can state with confidence that Ms. Banuelos is significantly injured, but that this case was no slam dunk.”
What happened to Emily Willis?
Those closest to Willis – real name Litzy Lara Banuelos – alleged her ‘health was ignored until it was too late’, causing her life to change ‘forever.’
TMZ reports she was left ‘frail, disoriented, dehydrated, and unable to properly walk, eat or care for herself.’
Court documents say Willis was found unconscious a month after checking in to the clinic on February 4, 2024, having suffered a cardiac arrest.
Paramedics performed CPR on her for 30-40 minutes before they finally managed to get her heart going again.
However, going so long without oxygen allegedly led to irreversible brain damage, leaving Willis with severe paralysis and long-term disability.
Court documents state Willis sometimes grunts and occasionally opens her eyes, but she is unable to respond consistently.
Following the incident, Willis’ mum Yesenia Lara Cooper filed a lawsuit against Summit Malibu and its parent company, Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, in December 2024.
Summit Malibu’s lawyers previously claimed in court docs that Willis ‘had refused to follow medical recommendations and take her medications’.
They said Willis declined the staff’s recommendation that she be transported to a hospital prior to suffering the heart attack, claiming: “She refused to go to urgent care or the hospital voluntarily, despite being encouraged to do so.”
The rehab facility denied any wrongdoing.
The $3 million settlement was approved by Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Susan Bryant-Deason on Willis’ behalf due to her current condition, the Independent reported.
Willis’ former partner, Mike Majlak, previously opened up about his ex-girlfriend being in ‘a vegetative state’ since the 2024 incident.
During an appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast in 2024, he said: “It’s bad, actually. She was incredible.
“We had a really great friendship and relationship, but she had her own struggles, and she recently, while at rehab, fell into a coma, and she’s been in a vegetative state.”
A timeline of Emily Willis’ medical catastrophe
27 January 2024
Willis, then aged 25, checks into rehab facility Summit Malibu after developing a ketamine addiction, with legal documents saying she had been ‘ingesting five to six grams per day for a year’.
She also suffers from bladder inflammation, night terrors, anxiety, and PTSD, and was 16 pounds underweight.
30 January 2024
According to Summit Malibu’s notes (as detailed in legal filings), Willis was described as ‘disheveled, frail, disoriented’, and as having difficulty walking.
3 February 2024
Emergency services were called to Summit Malibu with Willis having difficulty breathing, but she was not transported to hospital.
4 February 2024
Willis is found unconscious in her room. Paramedics perform CPR for 30 to 40 minutes and rush her to hospital.
1 March 2024
Willis’ family launches a GoFundMe amid mounting medical bills.
8 March 2024
Willis’ family write on their GoFundMe: “Emily remains in a vegetative coma and is fighting for her life.”
2 May 2024
Willis’ family write: “Emily is showing some signs of responsiveness like eye tracking but is still unable to communicate.”
27 December 2024
Willis’ mother Yesenia Lara Cooper files a lawsuit against Malibu Lighthouse Treatment, the parent company of Summit Malibu, alleging they failed to care for Willis adequately and blaming them for her daughter becoming permanently disabled.
She alleges abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, general negligence, and unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business practices.
The treatment centre denies wrongdoing and claims Willis refused treatment.
November 2025
Willis’ attorney James A. Morris, Jr. tells The Mirror US she ‘remains bedridden due to her neurological injuries’ and is unable to talk, but can make outward noises and ‘move her body somewhat’.
15 July 2026
A Santa Monica judge approved a $3 million settlement
