Gabby Petito's Family Wins Wrongful Death Case Against Brian Laundrie's Parents
Gabby Petito's family has been awarded $3 million after they won in a wrongful death case against Brian Laundrie's parents.
Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll made the decision on Thursday, with the lawsuit claiming that Laundrie intentionally killed Petito during a road trip.
The lawsuit claimed that Nicole Schmidt and Joseph Petito, the 22-year-old travel blogger's parents, "incurred funeral and burial expenses."
It added that they have also suffered a loss of care and comfort "and suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society, and comfort."
Petito's family has no expectation that they would get $3 million from Laundries' estate.
Petito family attorney Patrick Reilly said in a statement that there is not enough amount of money to "compensate the Petito family for the loss of their daughter" in Laundrie's hands.
Reilly said that Laundrie did not have $3 million, adding that it was "an arbitrary number."
The Petito family attorney said that whatever settlement money is received will be given to the Gabby Petito Foundation, which her family created after her death.
Gabby Petito Foundation helps find missing persons and fight domestic violence.
Gabby Petito Family Vs. Brian Laundrie Family
The lawsuit was filed in May claiming that Laundrie was liable for damages as he caused Petito's death.
Another separate lawsuit was filed against Laundrie's parents, which is still pending in Sarasota. The lawsuit claims that Laundrie's parents "wrongly concealed" that their son had already confessed to killing their daughter prior to his return home to Florida in September 2021,
Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta, denied that specific claim.
Meanwhile, an attorney for the Laundrie family, Steven Bertolino, said in a statement to CBS News that hopefully, the case brings "some closure to this one chapter of this tragedy."
Reilly noted that a trial will no longer be held as a result of the judgment. It was supposed to take place in December.
Bertolino said that he worked with Reilly to reach a settlement "to avoid the expense of a trial when the outcome of a money judgment was unavoidable."
The Laundrie attorney added that he looks forward to working with Reilly to address the litigation pending against his clients.
Petito's parents also filed a civil lawsuit in March against Laundrie's parents, alleging that they knew Laundrie killed their daughter and were trying to help him flee.
Gabby Petito's Family Wrongful Death Case
Petito family has also filed a wrongful death case against the Moab Police department, alleging the law enforcement department that their negligence led to Petito's death weeks later.
The lawsuit, which was filed in early November, is one of the recent high-profile cases around Petito's death.
Petito and Laundrie were stopped by police officers in Moab, Utah but were ultimately not cited for domestic violence despite signs of distress and their own physical statements about physical conflict.
Petito's body was later found at the Grand Teton national park in Wyoming, with an autopsy determining that she had been strangled.
The wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab Police department seeks $50 million in damages.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Gabby Petito's family wins lawsuit against Laundrie's parents - from CBS New York
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