Gabby Petito's Mom, Nichole Schmidt, Files New Lawsuit Against Brian Laundrie's Estate in Florida
The mother of Gabby Petito, Nichole Schmidt, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Florida on Friday against the curator of Brian Laundrie's estate.
According to ABC News, the lawsuit seeks wrongful death damages of $30,000 as it claimed that Laundrie intentionally killed Petito.
As a direct result of Laundrie's conduct, the lawsuit stated that Petito's mom and dad, Joseph Petito, "incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort."
The complaint was reportedly filed against Barry Spivey, who is identified in the suit as the court-appointed curator of Laundrie's estate.
In this latest lawsuit involving Petito's death, the travel blogger's mom also demanded a trial by jury and judgment for compensatory damages.
Brian Laundrie's Camp Responds to the Complaint Filed by Gabby Petito's Mom
Responding to the lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito's mom, Steven Bertolino, the attorney representing Brian Laundrie's parents, said the wrongful death lawsuit "was fully expected."
"This lawsuit will most likely not be defended and the Petitos will have gained nothing more than a piece of paper that tells them what everyone already knows - which is that Brian was responsible for Gabby's death as indicated by the FBI," Bertolino noted as Fox News reported.
On the other hand, Barry Spivey told Fox News that he would "accept service of a summons on that lawsuit" as one of his primary functions as a limited curator.
However, he noted that he has "absolutely no responsibility to respond to it."
"They needed somebody to accept service of process, but once that's done, I'm done with it," he added.
Petito's parents have already filed a civil lawsuit against Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta, on March 10. The lawsuit claimed that the elder Laundries were aware of their son killing Petito and sought to help him flee the country.
The lawsuit further noted that Christ and Roberta knew of the mental suffering and anguish that the Petito family was experiencing but still refused to respond to Petito's family.
The Petito family is seeking damages of at least $100,000 for the "pain and mental anguish" they experienced as a result of the "willfulness and maliciousness" of Laundrie's parents.
The elder Laundries filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on March 30, arguing that they had fundamental constitutional rights to silence. They added that there are also no facts to support their claims of "intentional infliction of emotional distress."
Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's Death
Last January, the FBI revealed that Brian Laundrie confessed to killing Gabby Petito in a message left in his notebook.
In its final report on the case, the FBI said a review of the notebook revealed written statements by Laundrie claiming responsibility for Petito's death.
The FBI noted that its investigation has concluded that Laundrie was the only person responsible for Petito's "tragic death."
Apart from the notebook, the FBI confirmed that they also found a "backpack" and a "revolver" upon further search of the area where Laundrie's remains were found.
Gabby Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19. A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.
Meanwhile, Brian Laundrie's skeletal remains were discovered at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida on October 20. His autopsy report showed that he died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was suicide.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Gabby Petito's Mother Files New Lawsuit Against Brian Laundrie's Estate, Seeks $30K - From WFLA News Channel 8