Litzy Lara Banuelos, known globally as Emily Willis, was at the pinnacle of the adult entertainment industry when she was named Female Performer of the Year at the 2021 AVN Awards. Behind the glamour, she faced a personal battle with drug dependency.
In early 2024, she checked into Summit Malibu, a luxury rehabilitation facility in California, seeking to overcome an addiction to ketamine. Her family maintains she entered clean and was committed to recovery.
Medical catastrophe
On February 4, 2024, just eight days after admission, a nurse practitioner found Banuelos unconscious in her room. Emergency services performed CPR and resuscitation efforts for up to 40 minutes before restoring a heartbeat. The prolonged oxygen deprivation caused a severe, irreversible anoxic brain injury.
Now 27, Banuelos requires total, round-the-clock care. She cannot walk, move independently, or speak, relying entirely on medical intervention and the constant care of her loved ones.
Legal battle and settlement
Banuelos and her mother, Yesenia Lara Cooper, sued Summit Malibu for negligence, abandonment, and recklessness. The facility denied wrongdoing, arguing Banuelos was monitored but refused medical advice. Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Susan Bryant-Deason approved a $3 million settlement on Banuelos' behalf.
Attorney James A. Morris Jr., who reduced his fee request from $1.2 million to $1 million, said the case was no slam dunk. He noted no one can definitively say what triggered the crisis given her fragile condition upon entering treatment.
Fear of locked-in syndrome
Banuelos resides in Utah under her mother's constant care. She has lost weight since entering rehab at 100lbs (7st). Court filings note she occasionally opens her eyes or makes faint grunts, rarely responding consistently to stimuli. Medical professionals have raised concerns she may suffer from locked-in syndrome, where a person is conscious but physically paralysed.
Morris 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."
Family's hope
Banuelos' mother continues to care for her, searching for signs of connection. A GoFundMe campaign has raised over $100,000. Morris reflected, "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."
