Former adult star Emily Willis' lawyer shares heartbreaking health update
James A. Morris, Jr., the lawyer representing Emily Willis and her mother Yesenia Cooper, shared an update with The Mirror US on the former adult star's health and her legal case
Emily Willis' lawyer has provided a new update on her health condition as well as about her legal case.
The 26-year-old former adult star, born Litzy Lara Banuelo, is "permanently disabled" after experiencing a cardiac arrest at the rehab center she was admitted to in 2024. Her mother Yesenia Cooper filed a lawsuit against the rehab facility, Summit Malibu, and its parent company Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers in the December 2024. In the lawsuit, she accused them of "abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices." Yesenia blamed the center's neglect for causing Emily to becoming "permanently disabled" following her cardiac arrest.
James A. Morris, Jr. is representing Emily and her mother in the ongoing lawsuit. He shared with The Mirror US how Emily is doing currently, as well as what's next in their legal battle.
"She remains bedridden due to her neurological injuries," the attorney said. He also confirmed that she is still unable to talk but can still make outward noises and can "move her body somewhat." Emily is still in her mother's care in Utah.
"Trial is set to take place in Santa Monica on May 6, 2026. We have additional hearings in February," Morris added about their case.
This comes as there was a court hearing held on September 23 for Emily's case. According to Unilad, one of the hearings in February is a "Hearing on Demurrer - with Motion to Strike" which means the judge will review defendant's request to have the complaint against them dismissed which Summit Malibu filed for in late August.
Summit Malibu has denied Yesenia's claims of neglect and in their filing they claimed that Emily's mother has failed to give more details for her elder/dependent-abuse allegations in a prior hearing in June, per PornCrush.
In a recent filing, Summit Malibu claimed that they did not have the authority to transport Emily to a hospital without her consent.
"It is undisputed that during her stay, (Willis) had refused to follow medical recommendations and take her medications," the court docs said. "She refused to go to urgent care or the hospital voluntarily, despite being encouraged to do so by (Summit Malibu)," the court doc said, per the outlet.
The lawyer in August spoke with PornCrush and argued that Summit Malibu had made a mistake by not recognizing that Emily needed to be immediately hospitalized when she entered their doors in January of 2024, weighing 100 pounds and seeking treatment for anorexia. He clarified that it was not ketamine she was seeking treatment for as she stopped using the drug before entering the center.
In the lawsuit, it detailed how Emily had physically and mentally deteriorated at the facility.
"They should've transferred her to a hospital earlier and let the doctors put a feeding tube in her and treat her properly while she was still (coherent) and speaking and walking," Morris said to the outlet. "Instead, they allowed her to have a say in her medical treatment, which is not what you do with somebody who is in severe health danger. She was in a very brittle place."
On February 2024, while Emily was in rebab, she was found unconscious. The lawsuit said that a nurse did CPR on her for three minutes until paramedic came and after 30-40 minutes they were able to get a pulse. It was not stated how long Emily had been unconscious for before she was found. Morris stated that Emily had experienced an anoxic brain injury (oxygen deprivation) that led to her disabled and paralyzed state.
Back in February, Morris spoke with Daily Star where he gave an update that Emily was still incapacitated and that she has lost even more weight since being in her state.
He also addressed the speculation that Emily has locked-in syndrome from medical professionals. Locked-in syndrome is a rare neurological condition, caused by damage to the brainstem, where a person is conscious but nearly completely paralyzed except for eye movements.
Morris said Emily has not been diagnosed yet and they have not received the medical records yet. He said that once they see them, they can see what "neurologist in charge had to say about her condition." He acknowledged that they are aware the syndrome is a "possibility." Morris did not update The Mirror US if Emily has been diagnosed with locked-in syndrome or not.
He also at the time shared with the Daily Star that Emily's mother was grateful for the support and the donation through Emily's GoFundMe, which has raised now more than $118,000.