Gabby Petito's Parents Slam Brian Laundrie's Family for 'Cold-Hearted' and 'Insensitive' Lawyer Decision

Gabby Petito's family sued Steven Bertolino, Laundries' lawyer, in civil court on Tuesday, accusing him of being "insensitive, cold-hearted, and outrageous" for saying that the Laundries "hoped" to find Gabby's remains in September 2021 while knowing that Gabby is already dead, per Fox News.

The Gabby Petito lawsuit was originally launched against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie earlier this year by Gabby's parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, who accused them of knowing that their son killed Gabby and where her remains were but refusing to speak.

According to Gabby's parent's statement Tuesday, the Laundries choose to speak due to Bertolino's statements.

These include a statement on September 14, 2021, claiming that "it was the 'hope' of the Laundrie family 'that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family."

Petitos' statement further asserted that the Laundries and their attorney were already aware that Gabby had passed away by the time the attorney issued his statement on September 14, 2021.

Tuesday, Bertolino did not reply immediately to a request for comment.

Gabby Petito's Family Won $3 Million in Brian Laundrie's Estate's Wrongful Death

In early November, a court in Sarasota County, Florida, granted the Petito family $3 million in a wrongful death case against the estate of Brian Laundrie.

This case is different from the one Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt, filed against Laundrie's parents for negligence.

According to USA Today, the trial scheduled for this December will not take place due to the verdict in favor of Petito's family.

"The Petito family lost their daughter, and they were also denied the opportunity to confront her killer," attorney Patrick Reilly said in a statement.

"No amount of money is sufficient to compensate the Petito family for the loss of their daughter, Gabby, at the hands of Brain Laundrie," he added.

Reilly has promised to provide the family's share of the settlement to the Gabby Petito Foundation, which is expected to be at most $3 million.

The nonprofit works with domestic violence shelters and agencies that help locate missing people.

Gabby Petito's Family Sues Brian Laundrie's Parents for Helping Him Escape

In March, Gabby Petito's parents sued Brian Laundrie's parents on claims that the latter helped their son avoid punishment for their daughter's murder.

According to the lawsuit, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie's son told them he killed his fiancée Gabby Petito.

The communication allegedly happened on or around August 28.

That is just one day after Gabby Petito's parents publicly said they suspected murder.

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie were on the West Coast of their cross-country road adventure. On September 1, Brian Laundrie returned alone to his parent's home in Florida.

For whatever reason, neither Brian Laundrie nor his parents were willing to help the police.

After a month of investigation, the remains of Brian Laundrie were located with a notebook in which the killer claimed credit for the murder of Gabby Petito.

News 12 noted that the complaint claims that the Laundries covered up their knowledge of Gabby Petito's murder. Moreover, it shows that they tried to take their son out of the country.

During this time, there was a massive effort to locate Gabby Petito.

Laundrie is suspected of strangulating Petito and dumping her body in the Wyoming wilderness before flying back to Florida to live with his parents.

Laundrie lurked in the house for a while before escaping to a neighboring park, where he fatally shot himself.

In his suicide note, he stated that he killed Petito only after she was severely injured while they tried to get back to the van on an extremely cold night, said Law and Crime.

"I ended her life," Brian claimed in his suicide note.

"I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made," he added.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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