Former adult star Emily Willis sent her brother an eerie text before entering rehab, warning him he might not hear from her for a week as she began detox. Little did they both know, life would never be the same again.
Willis, whose real name is Litzy Lara Banuelos, checked into Summit Malibu on January 27, 2024, to treat a ketamine addiction. Willis, 27, allegedly had been taking five to six grams of ketamine a day for about a year and decided enough was enough - it was time to get clean.
Chilling message to 'Bubs'
Just before checking into the luxury rehab facility, Willis sent a chilling text message to her brother Michael. "Hey Bubs, I am about to check in. I might not have my phone. So, if you don’t hear from me in the next seven days, that’s why!! Then I get my phone back after detox," she wrote to Michael Cooper Jr.
Michael told her he loved her, was proud she was taking care of herself and wanted her to leave with a plan. He later said Willis was "excited" to get better, reports Thought Catalog. "She said it had a lot of amenities, and a lot of celebrities went there and they make sure you come out well."
"She was strong going in and had a path forward. I had zero reason to think anything would go wrong."
Health decline and collapse
The complaint said she arrived underweight with bladder inflammation, urinary incontinence and night terrors, alongside diagnoses of major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety and PTSD. Facility records also noted anorexia and prescriptions for antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication. The Wall Street Journal reported that her Summit file recorded a relapse 15 days after she left an earlier stay at Passages Malibu. Willis paid $45,500 in cash for 21 days at Summit.
Drug screens were negative when she entered Summit and later during her stay. An early toxicology report after her collapse also found no drugs, and doctors still have not established why she stopped breathing.
The complaint alleges Willis refused medication surrounding her withdrawal symptoms on January 28. By the next day, staff described her as "dishevelled, frail, disoriented," struggling to walk and "extremely" medically impaired.
Legal action and settlement
She allegedly developed tremors, weakness and severe dehydration, with a nurse unable to read her blood pressure. She was barely eating or showering and smelt of urine. Paramedics were called on February 3 after she experienced breathing trouble, but Willis refused hospital transport.
The following day, the clinician assigned to monitor her allegedly left for lunch at 11.40am and did not return until 12.30pm. The complaint says his initials still appeared on 15-minute observation logs during that period. At around 12.30pm, staff found Willis with fixed pupils, no pulse and no signs of breathing. A nurse performed CPR for about three minutes before paramedics arrived and continued resuscitation for another 30 to 40 minutes. The prolonged loss of oxygen left Willis with severe brain damage and paralysis.
Michael said his 5ft 6 sister weighed 111 pounds (7.9st) when she entered Summit and 83 pounds (5.9st) when she was found unresponsive. Summit’s nutritional screening instead recorded an intake weight of 100 pounds, 16 pounds underweight by its measure, while the family says she was never referred to a nutritionist or physician.
Willis' mother, Yesenia Cooper, sued Summit and parent company Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers in December 2024, accusing them of negligence that caused "irreversible brain damage and permanent physical and mental incapacity". Malibu Lighthouse denied liability and wrongdoing. The facility argued Willis had refused medication, urgent care and hospital transport, and staff had no legal authority to force treatment.
Her attorney, James A. Morris Jr, told the court the case "was no slam dunk" because nobody knows exactly what caused the crisis or whether Summit could have prevented it.
Current condition and family care
Willis had discussed leaving the adult film industry with Michael and studying psychology in college. The Hollywood Reporter said she had already stepped back from filming and was relying on OnlyFans. She was named AVN Female Performer of the Year in 2021, became a Penthouse Pet in May 2019 and had a small role in Divinity.
Judge Susan Bryant-Deason approved a $3million settlement on July 15, 2026, without an admission of liability. After roughly $1million in fees, liens and other obligations, Willis will receive about $1.25million. She cannot manage the money herself, and her mum remains her conservator.
Yesenia moved her daughter to Mexico, where relatives provide cheaper round-the-clock care. She told TMZ in July that Willis was "slowly recovering" after more than 10 surgeries, with the family hoping to pursue treatment in Spain.
Willis remains paralysed, unable to speak or live independently. Her family says she communicates through her eyes and head movements, understands about 80% of what is happening and sometimes puckers her lips when Michael blows her a kiss. She reportedly breathes and eats through tubes in her neck. Yesenia says Willis sometimes screams or kicks her out of frustration, while an attorney previously described her as "effectively frozen".
