The parents of Gabby Petito have reached a settlement in their emotional distress lawsuit against the parents of Brian Laundrie, as well as their attorney, Steven Bertolino. The resolution of the case, which was reached after a long day of mediation, was not disclosed. Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, Gabby's parents, released a statement saying that all parties agreed to settle in order to avoid further legal expenses and personal conflict. They expressed their hope to close this chapter of their lives and continue to honor the legacy of their daughter.
Gabby Petito, 22, was killed during a cross-country road trip with Laundrie in 2021. After Petito went missing in August of that year, suspicion fell on Laundrie, who later died by suicide. In a note found after his death, Laundrie claimed responsibility for Petito's killing. The Petito family then sued Laundrie's parents and Bertolino for intentional and reckless infliction of emotional distress, alleging that they knew Petito was dead but misled the public by issuing messages of hope.
The lawsuit also claimed that the Laundries' behavior during the search for Petito caused severe emotional distress to her parents. The Laundries denied being told by their son that he killed Petito, but court documents showed that they acknowledged he said she was “gone” in a frantic phone call. If mediation had been unsuccessful, the case was scheduled to go to trial in May.
The settlement comes after a previous wrongful death lawsuit was settled, with the Petito family being awarded $3 million in 2022. The terms of the latest settlement are confidential, and both families are looking to put this matter behind them. The Laundries had previously settled a separate wrongful death lawsuit with the Petitos for $3 million, which claimed that Brian Laundrie had admitted to his parents that he had killed Gabby Petito. The recently settled lawsuit also accused the Laundries of acting with malice or great indifference to the rights of Petito's parents by not coming forward during the searches for Petito and Laundrie. The lawsuit called their behavior "shocking, atrocious, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community."
In the statement released by their attorney, Bertolino confirmed that the civil suit had been resolved and expressed a desire to put the matter behind them. Both families had previously settled a wrongful death lawsuit for $3 million. The settlement of the emotional distress case marks a step towards closure for both families involved in this tragic and highly publicized case.
