More Brian Laundrie bombshells to be revealed in $100k lawsuit – as Gabby Petito’s parents could try for huge pay off
MORE Brian Laundrie bombshells are likely to be revealed after Gabby Petito's family filed a lawsuit against his parents - and they may seek a quick payday.
Petito's dad, Joseph, and mom, Nichole Schmidt, filed a civil lawsuit against Chris and Roberta Laundrie this month in Sarasota County, Florida - seeking $100K in damages.
It comes months after their 22-year-old daughter was found strangled to death and her boyfriend Brian disappeared - before fatally shooting himself in the head.
The Petitos believe he confessed to his parents and they failed to keep tabs on him before the FBI reportedly spent more than a million dollars on a large-scale manhunt.
Laundrie's parents have slammed the lawsuit as "baseless" and say they helped law enforcement even though they had no obligation to speak to anyone.
They have never been arrested or charged with a crime.
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Now, criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter has told The Sun in an exclusive interview that more could come out about his final days.
He said: "Civil cases aren't as tight-lipped as criminal investigations, so I imagine as this litigation heats up we'll all learn many more details surrounding the murder.
"Predicting an outcome at this early stage would be about as easy as reading tea leaves.
"Though I will say this — if the Laundries believe that they may expose themselves to even the suspicion of conspiring with their son to destroy evidence or harboring a fugitive, you can expect that discussion of a settlement will happen quickly.
"Litigation is never cheap. Much of the cost depends on how long the lawsuit drags on.
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"Also, it might be that the Petitos' lawyers took this on a contingency basis with the expectation of a large payoff, or for the media exposure that can result from such a high profile case."
Ritter also previously told The Sun the Laundries may have to hand over cell phones and other electronic devices.
"If I were representing the Petito's my first request would be for Laundrie's parents' cell phones," he said.
"We all walk around with an astounding amount of information in our pockets: text messages, emails, phone calls, voicemails, location history, purchase history, you name it.
"The cell phones alone could contain everything that the Petitos need to prevail in this case.
BIG PAY DAY
"We will have to wait to see what evidence is uncovered during litigation to truly tell if the lawsuit is a strong one or not.
"But if evidence does exist - and you can imagine it might in the form of text messages or emails - showing that Laundrie's parents were aware of the murder, and helped their son conceal evidence or evade capture, then the lawsuit would be on very sound footing."
Petito's parents also allege that Laundrie told his mom and dad 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.
Gabby's family says that there was no contact between the Petitos or the Laundries 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 claims that Roberta blocked her phone number and her Facebook profile around September 10, the lawsuit alleges.
SHOCK SUICIDE
The Petito's believe that Laundrie's parents were planning to help him flee the country, the suit added.
On Tuesday, November 23, 2021, the cause of death for Brian Laundrie was officially released - weeks after his girlfriend was found dead and he went missing.
It was ruled Brian died by suicide after his remains were found during a search of Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park with his parents after the area had previously been water-logged.
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Authorities confirmed they found bones after locating a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie, and later revealed he confessed to killing Gabby in his journal.
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After disappearing, the 23-year-old was wanted by the FBI for fraudulent bank activity after he allegedly used Gabby's bank cards after her death.
