After Gianna Dior and Adria Rae bullied Emily Willis, she filed a defamation lawsuit against them.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has indicated that a high-profile defamation case may soon be dismissed due to lack of legal representation and procedural inactivity.

The case centers on allegations that fellow adult performer Gianna Dior falsely accused Willis in 2021 of appearing in a widely circulated and scandalous video involving women allegedly engaged in sexual acts with a dog.

Emily Willis filed suit in October 2021, seeking more than $5 million in damages, claiming the accusation severely damaged her reputation within the adult entertainment industry.

The lawsuit alleges that Dior made the defamatory statement in retaliation for a social media exchange, referencing an incident in which Dior reposted a tweet from Willis and then insinuated her involvement in the controversial video. When backlash followed from within the industry, the lawsuit claimed Dior “doubled down” on her assertion.

At a hearing held on Wednesday, Judge Michael Small noted that no one had appeared in court on Willis’s behalf. The judge warned that if representation does not appear at the next scheduled hearing on May 7, he may move to formally consider dismissing the case.

The issue of representation became pressing after Willis’s attorney was granted a motion to withdraw on February 28, citing a breakdown in communication. Given Willis’s current medical condition — she is in a vegetative state following a cardiac arrest at a Malibu rehab center in early 2024 — her mother, Yesenia Lara Cooper, must now file a guardian ad litem application in order for the case to move forward.

A guardian ad litem is appointed by the court to represent an incapacitated individual’s best interests in legal proceedings. Without one, a lawsuit such as Willis’s cannot proceed under California law.

In a separate but related case, Cooper has also filed suit against Summit Malibu, the rehabilitation center where Willis suffered the medical emergency that left her incapacitated. That suit, filed in Santa Monica Superior Court, accuses the facility of dependent adult abuse and negligence in their treatment of Willis, who was being treated for ketamine addiction at the time.

Attorneys for Summit Malibu have denied the abuse allegations and have moved to dismiss that claim. A hearing in that case is scheduled for June 18.

The defamation suit against Dior, if dismissed, would mark another setback for Cooper as she seeks legal recourse on behalf of her daughter, now 26.

Dior’s attorneys have maintained that no defamation occurred and have called for the suit to be thrown out. They argue that the social media post in question did not rise to the legal standard of defamation and that Dior was responding in kind to perceived personal insults.

The original 2021 incident — a scandal that generated widespread rumors and speculations within the adult industry— raised concerns about reputational harm and the spread of unverified allegations. While Emily Willis was never confirmed to be in the video in question, the lawsuit argues that Dior’s public accusation was particularly damaging given the nature of the allegation and the industry’s sensitivity to such scandals.

With the case now hinging on procedural filings and guardianship declarations, its future remains uncertain. If no guardian is appointed and no legal representative appears in court on May 7, Judge Small is likely to initiate formal dismissal proceedings.

Let’s hope that isn’t the case. Emily Willis deserves justice.