Brian Laundrie’s parents slam ‘baseless’ new suit from Gabby Petito’s family which claims they knew he killed vlogger
BRIAN Laundrie's parents have slammed the "baseless" new lawsuit from Gabby Petito's family claiming that they knew that their son killed the vlogger, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
Petito's dad, Joseph, and mom, Nichole Schmidt, filed a civil lawsuit against Chris and Roberta Laundrie on Thursday.
Attorney Steve Bertolino told The Sun: "As I have maintained over the last several months, the Laundrie‘s have not publicly commented at my direction which is their right under the law.
"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 Petito’s claims to be baseless under the law."
The bombshell civil lawsuit filed in Sarasota County, Florida allege that Brian's parents were working on getting him out of the country.
Read More on Gabby Petito
The lawsuit doesn't include any documentation or exhibits to back their claims.
It's unclear if that's because the FBI hasn't officially closed the Gabby's murder case.
But the lawsuit has been in the works for at least a month.
Gary Rider, the Petitos' family friend, responded to The Sun's questions about phone records in a February 10 email saying he couldn't talk about any documents.
"We are not able to discuss any facts or documentation related to the case at this time due to oncoming legal action. Possibly down the road," Rider said.
The Petito's allegations cited in the documents were not previously released by the FBI, which didn't arrest or charge Brian's parents.
Most read in The US Sun
A coroner determined that Gabby's cause of death was homicide by manual strangulation, but the new lawsuit claims she also suffered blunt force injuries to the head and neck.
Petito's parents also allege that Laundrie told his parents what happened "on or about" August 28 - one day after her death.
"It is believed, and therefore averred that… Brian Laundrie advised his parents, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie, that he had murdered Gabrielle Petito," the lawsuit states.
"On that same date, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie spoke with Attorney Steve Bertolino, and sent him a retainer on Sept. 2, 2021."
The legal action alleged that Laundrie sent text messages back and forth between his phone and Petito's after she died "in an effort to hide the fact she was deceased."
It even goes on to claim that Laundrie sent an additional text from Petito’s phone on August 30 to Nicole saying there was no service in Yosemite Park "in an effort to deceive" her.
The lawsuit then details what happened in the days following, before the official missing person alert for Gabby went out.
Gabby's family says that there was no contact between the Petito's or the Laundrie's after Brian returned home on September 1.
But then, when an official search for Gabby's remains was underway, the lawsuit said that the Laundrie family refused to respond to questions both from law enforcement and the Petito family.
Nichole also alleges that Laundries mom, Roberta, blocked her phone number and also her Facebook profile around September 10, the lawsuit said.
The Petito family also believe that Laundrie's parents were planning to help Brian flee the country, the suit added.
"While Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt were desperately searching for information concerning their daughter, Christopher Laundrie and Roberta Laundrie were keeping the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie secret, and it is believed were making arrangements for him to leave the country," it read.
Read More on The US Sun
Read More on The US Sun
In more damning claims against the Laundrie family, the suit reads: "Christopher 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."
Gabby's family are now seeking damages of at least $100,000, stating that they suffered pain and mental anguish.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at [email protected] or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS