On Thursday, a Florida judge awarded Gabby Petito’s family $3 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against Brian Laundrie’s estate, per The Associated Press.
In September 2021, Petito was reported missing when she was on a cross-country trip with her fiancé, Laundrie. On Sept. 19, 2021, Petito’s remains were found in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation.
Laundrie was a person of interest in the case. Shortly after returning to Florida, he was reported missing and his remains were discovered on Oct. 20, 2021, per the Deseret News. NBC News reported that the family’s attorney said Laundrie “died from a gunshot wound to the head, and his manner of death was suicide.” Deseret News previously reported that Laundrie wrote a confession for Petito’s death in his journal.
According to The Associated Press, “The lawsuit involving the estates of Petito and Laundrie, filed in May, claimed Laundrie was liable for damages because he caused her death.” While it’s unlikely that Laundrie’s estate consists of $3 million, Petito’s parents Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt plan to use whatever money they receive to fund the Gabby Petito Foundation.
The Gabby Petito Foundation helps those in abusive relationships.
Lawsuit against Laundrie’s parents
The Associated Press previously reported on another lawsuit involving the Petito case.
In a separate still pending lawsuit, Petito’s parents sued Laundrie’s parents, claiming that “Christopher and Roberta Laundrie concealed that their son had confessed to the murder from investigators and Petito’s parents while the search for Gabby Petito was ongoing.”
The Laundries’ attorney denied the general claims of the lawsuit.
Lawsuit against Moab Police Department
The Deseret News reported that Petito’s parents also sued the Moab Police Department, filing a $50 million lawsuit claiming negligence.
KSL reported that Moab city officials said that they see Petito’s death as a tragedy. They also said that police officers were not responsible for the murder.
“The attorneys for the Petito family seem to suggest that, somehow, our officers could see into the future, based on this single interaction. In truth, on Aug. 12, no one could have predicted the tragedy that would occur weeks later and hundreds of miles away,” Moab police said in a statement earlier this month, per KSL.