The family of former adult star Emily Willis say that she is 'permanently disabled' after suffering a cardiac arrest at a rehab clinic last year.
In a lawsuit filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court against Summit Malibu and its parent company Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, LLC, there are allegations of 'abuse of a dependent adult, professional negligence, negligence and fraudulent business practices'.
According to the lawsuit, Willis - real name Litzy Lara Banuelos - was referred to the rehab centre on 27 January, 2024 for a ketamine addiction, with the legal document claiming she was ingesting 'five to six grams' of the drug each day.
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In the days that followed, the lawsuit alleges that Willis' condition worsened as she suffered from hot/cold chills, tremors, increased heart rate, headaches, feeling 'disorientated', difficulty walking, and vaginal pain.
At one point a nurse was unable to take her blood pressure due to 'dehydration', and on 3 February the emergency services were called but Willis was not taken to hospital.
The following day Willis was 'found unconscious', with nurses and paramedics administering CPR for between 30 and 40 minutes until her heartbeat was restored.
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The lawsuit claims that since Willis was without oxygen for a long time she suffered 'irreversible brain damage', and accuses the rehab clinic of having 'failed' to provide her with sufficient levels of care.
Willis was hospitalised and ended up in a 'vegetative state' where she is conscious but cannot speak and can only move her eyes, which is what 'locked-in syndrome' is.
Locked-in syndrome is a rare neurological disorder where damage to the brain results in the paralysis of all voluntary muscles apart from those responsible for the eyes, so they can still see, hear and blink.
In some cases, the patient can make a partial recovery and regain the use of some muscles with physical therapy, though a full recovery is near impossible and there is no cure.
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As such the lawsuit, filed on 27 December last year, is alleging that the rehab clinic subjected Willis to an 'unsafe environment'.
"Had the staff followed standard medical protocols, Emily would have had the opportunity to regain control of her life," Willis' family's attorney James A. Morris Jr. said in a statement.
"No patient should ever be subjected to such a horrendous breakdown in clinical care. Her health was ignored until it was too late, and now her life is forever changed.
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"We hope this lawsuit will spur real change in how treatment centers handle critical cases. Too many patients who should be receiving life-saving interventions are being lost to negligence."
Drug tests conducted at the hospital show that prior to her cardiac arrest, Willis had not taken ketamine or other drugs.
LADbible Group has contacted Summit Malibu for comment.
Topics: Health, US News, Adult Industry
Joe Harker