Gabby Petito’s Family Wins Huge Legal Case Against Brian Laundrie’s Estate

It’s been more than a year since the death of Gabby Petito, and her family is finally getting some small justice for her death. PEOPLE reports that Petito’s family won a huge legal case against the estate of Brian Laundrie, Petito’s boyfriend who confessed to her murder in a notebook before taking his own life. Per legal documents obtained by the outlet, Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll awarded Petito’s family $3 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against Laundrie’s estate.

The lawsuit claimed that Petito’s mother and father – Nichole Schmidt and 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.” In a statement obtained by WWSB-TV, the couple’s attorney, Patrick Reilly, said, “No amount of money is sufficient to compensate the Petito family for the loss of their daughter, Gabby, at the hands of Brian Laundrie. Brian did not have $3 million; it’s an arbitrary number.”

According to reports, Petito and Laundrie had set off on a cross-country trip in June 2021. Near the end of August, Petito reportedly began to be less communicative before sending one last text on Aug. 30, which her family questions the authenticity of, as they feel it may not have been sent by her. Laundrie returned home to North Port on Sept. 1 but reportedly was unwilling to cooperate with police on the investigation of Petito’s disappearance. Laundrie was never an official suspect in Petito’s death, but he was considered a person of interest. Authorities engaged in an extensive search for Laundrie, and eventually confirmed on Oct. 21 that his remains had been discovered.

In the Petitos’ lawsuit, they allege that the Laundries could have done more to help in the search for their daughter, but claim the parents chose to help protect Brian instead. In the filing, which PEOPLE also obtained, the Petitos’ lawyers wrote, “Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie exhibited extreme and outrageous conduct which constitutes behavior, under the circumstances, which goes beyond all possible bounds of decency and is regarded as shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.” In response to the initial filing, Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino wrote, “Assuming everything the Petitos allege in their lawsuit is true, which we deny, this lawsuit does not change the fact that the Laundries had no obligation to speak to law enforcement or any third-party including the Petito family. This fundamental legal principle renders the Petitos’ claims baseless under the law.”