The parents of Gabby Petito are suing Brian Laundrie‘s parents, Chris and Roberta, claiming they had knowledge that he killed her and helped him flee law enforcement.
The complaint was filed Thursday and alleges that Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt experienced “pain and suffering, mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of capacity for enjoyment of life experienced in the past and to be experienced in the future” as a result of “the willfulness and maliciousness” of the Laundries.
The remains of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old travel blogger, were found in a Wyoming national park in 2021, and after an autopsy, it was revealed that her cause of death was strangulation.
The social media influencer was reported missing in 2021 when fiance Brian Laundrie returned home without her after they had been on a road trip touring various national parks.
Brian Laundrie’s parents last reported seeing him Sept. 13, two days after reporting Gabby Petito missing. His remains were discovered Oct. 21 with a gunshot wound to his skull.
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A report noted that Brian Laundrie confessed to the murder of Gabby Petito in journal entries the FBI recovered near his remains.
There was speculation that the Laundries knew more about both Gabby Petito’s condition and their son’s whereabouts than they were letting on, but nothing ever came of it.
Now, however, Gabby Petito’s parents are seeking compensation for their suffering that they say was exacerbated by the Laundries’ noncompliance with themselves and law enforcement.
“It is believed that on August 27, 2021, Brian Laundrie murdered Gabrielle Petito,” the civil complaint alleges.
The complaint also claims that Brian Laundrie confessed the murder to his parents Aug. 28, after which they hired lawyer Steve Bertolino.
On Friday, Bertolino told Fox News Digital that the suit is “baseless.”
“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,” he said. “This fundamental legal principle renders the Petitos’s claims to be baseless under the law.”
“As I have maintained over the last several months, the Laundries have not publicly commented at my direction which is their right under the law,” Bertolino added.
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Court documents reveal that the parents of Gabby Petito are demanding a jury trial and seeking over $100,000 in compensation.
