Brian Laundrie Family Denied Motion to Limit Testimony Scope in Gabby Petito Trial
One Florida judge has denied the motion by Brian Laundrie's family, aiming to limit the scope of their testimony in the lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito's parents. A jury trial is seen to occur next year.
Florida judge Hunter W. Carroll ruled that the motion was "overly narrow" and would preclude directly relevant evidence based on the allegations in the lawsuit that the Laundrie family were aware of Petito's murder and did nothing.
Judge Carroll said that there was no prior misconduct by the plaintiffs.
The judge added that the court normally does not issue such an order without "some showing of something going on other than the fact that there's a lot of media scrutiny."
Attorney for Petito's family, Pat Reilly, said the depositions have been scheduled for December 1, but he will be seeking postponement to wait for results on evidence and testimony gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during their probe of Petito's disappearance.
Meanwhile, Laundrie attorney Matthew Luka noted that they were "disappointed" that Carroll did not rule in their favor. Luka added that he and Reilly will work together to ensure that the questions asked are reasonable and fair.
Gabby Petito Trial
Petito's parents alleged in the lawsuit that the Laundrie family knew that their son had killed his former fiancé when they went for a family camping trip in early September 2021.
In addition, the lawsuit was also taking issue with Bertolino's statement shortly after Petito's missing person report, wherein he said that "it is out of hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful."
Reilly called the statement "audacious" in front of the press.
The amended complaint noted that for the Laundrie family to "hope" that Petito was found and reunited with her family at a time when the family "knew she had been murdered by their son."
The Petitos are suing the Laundrie for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Gabby Petito Disappearance and Murder
Petito was found in a Wyoming national park. A month later, Laundrie's skeletal remains were found inside the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida.
Autopsy results showed that Laundrie died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with one notebook found alongside Laundrie's remains. It contained a note claiming responsibility for the murder.
Petito and Laundrie had been documenting their travel experiences through a YouTube channel. They started their travels on July 2, 2021.
Petito would regularly FaceTime her mother during her travels with Laundrie. It then concerned Nicole Schmidt, Petito's mother, when she did not hear from her daughter for several days.
North Port Police in Florida then revealed that Laundrie was a "person of interest" in the case.
Laundrie returned home to his Florida home without Petito. He was driving the Ford Transit van on the day she was reported missing.
Police said that the circumstance of her disappearance "appeared odd."
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
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