LOS ANGELES—A Los Angeles Superior Court judge indicated during a hearing on Wednesday that he is poised to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by adult performer Emily Willis against fellow star Gianna Dior, MyNewsLA.com reports.
The suit was prompted due to a video allegedly depicting women engaging in sexual acts with a dog that circulated among adult industry members in 2021. The dispute occurred when Dior insinuated on social media that Willis was one of the women in the video engaging in the acts.
Willis subsequently sued Dior for $5 million in damages.
Willis, who is currently in a vegetative state and unable to appear before the court, per the MyNewsLA report, is being advocated for by her mother after the court granted a Feb. 28 motion by Willis' attorney to be removed from the case.
It was first reported by the tabloid TMZ in February 2024 that Willis was hospitalized after what was believed at the time to be an overdose. It was later revealed that Willis had suffered a heart attack at the Malibu rehabilitation facility where she had admitted herself for ketamine addiction. Her mother sued the facility in December, alleging negligence in its care of her daughter. That case is still pending.
The judge in the defamation case told attendees at Wednesday's hearing that this suit may be headed for dismissal, after no one appeared on Willis's behalf, per the MyNewsLA report. Judge Michael Small warned that if this happens again at a follow-up hearing scheduled for May 7, he may schedule an additional session to consider dismissing the case.
This confounded the issues for Willis's mother, who now must file a motion for a guardian ad litem in order for the case to proceed. A guardian ad litem is someone appointed by the court to act on behalf of a minor or incapacitated individual unable to represent themselves.
