The family of former adult film performer Emily Willis is moving forward in its lawsuit against Summit Malibu, the California rehabilitation center where Willis suffered catastrophic brain damage in 2024. A procedural hearing in the case is set for September 23 at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Santa Monica, with a second hearing now scheduled for February 17, 2026.

Emily Willis was admitted to the upscale facility in early 2024 for treatment of ketamine addiction and mental health issues. Just days later, she was found unconscious in her room and required nearly 40 minutes of resuscitation. While paramedics eventually restored her heartbeat, she was left with an anoxic brain injury caused by prolonged oxygen deprivation.

Now 27, Willis is described by her attorney as semi-conscious, with limited movement and the ability to follow with her eyes, but otherwise unable to communicate or care for herself. Doctors suspect she is living with locked-in syndrome. She is cared for full-time by her mother at home in Utah.

“It’s a horrible existence,” family lawyer James A. Morris Jr. said in an interview. “Imagine being locked in your own body. You’re in a jail you can’t escape.”

Willis’s mother, Yasenia Lara Cooper, filed suit against Summit Malibu and its parent company, Malibu Lighthouse Treatment Centers, LLC, alleging:

• Abuse of a dependent adult
• Professional negligence
• Negligence
• Fraudulent business practices

The complaint accuses staff of failing to transfer Emily Willis to a hospital as her condition deteriorated, missing critical opportunities to provide treatment that might have prevented permanent injury.

Defense filings argue that Willis repeatedly refused recommended medical treatment, including urgent care visits, and declined to take prescribed medications. “It is undisputed that during her stay, (Willis) had refused to follow medical recommendations,” the facility stated in its response.

Summit Malibu has asked the court to dismiss the case, filing a demurrer and motion to strike in late August. The February 2026 hearing will address that request.

Morris dismissed the defense strategy as a “typical motion,” insisting the case “has no weakness.” He contends that staff should have exercised a higher duty of care. “They should’ve transferred her to a hospital earlier and let doctors put a feeding tube in her and treat her properly,” he said.

Emily Willis rose to prominence as one of the most popular adult film stars of her generation before stepping away from the industry. Her family hoped that entering rehab in 2024 would mark a turning point toward recovery. Instead, her collapse at Summit Malibu left her permanently disabled.

Supporters have since launched fundraising efforts to assist with her long-term medical needs. A GoFundMe campaign titled Support Emily Willis’s Journey to Recovery continues to collect donations to cover care and rehabilitation costs.

For now, Willis’s future remains uncertain. “She’s still here,” Morris said. “That in and of itself says something about her resilience and her desire to live.”

At the time of the incident, Emily Willis was one of the biggest stars in the industry.