Internet weighs in Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie’s parents settle civil lawsuit outside court
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org
NORTH PORT, FLORIDA: The emotional distress civil lawsuit that Gabrielle 'Gabby' Petito's parents filed against Brian Laundrie's parents has been settled between the families of Gabby and her fiance.
The settlement happened during a mediation on Wednesday, February 21, between Gabby's parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, and Brian Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie.
Laundrie family settles lawsuit against Petito family
If a settlement could not be reached, the matter would have gone to trial in May. Fox News and other media outlets received a statement from Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino confirming the news.
"Christopher and Roberta Laundrie and I participated in mediation with the Petito family and the civil lawsuit has now been resolved. The terms of the resolution are confidential, and we look forward to putting this matter behind us," his statement read.
Through their attorney, the Petito family also provided a statement to WFLA-TV in which they stated that "all parties reluctantly agreed in order to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict."
“Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby," the statement continued.
The settlement comes in response to a lawsuit that Petito's parents filed against Laundrie's parents alleging emotional distress.
They said that Gabby had vanished during a cross-country road trip with their son in the summer of 2021 and that the Laundries had knowledge of both her death and the whereabouts of her body following a nationwide search for her.
The trip was documented on YouTube. On September 1, 2021, Laundrie went back to his parents' house without Petito; on September 11, 2021, she was listed as missing.
Laundrie turned into a person of interest in the case, and according to the police, he declined to assist with their inquiry. On September 19, 2021, her remains were discovered in Grand Teton National Park, and her death was ruled a homicide.
His body was discovered in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20, 2021, along with a backpack and notebook in which he admitted to killing Gabby. He had been reported missing on September 13, 2021.
One theory for his death was suicide. In November 2022, Petito's parents won $3 million against Laundrie's estate in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Internet reacts to settlement in civil lawsuit
As soon as the netizens received the news about the Laundrie family reaching a settlement in the civil lawsuit against the Petito family. One user wrote in a Facebook post, "That makes it a mystery then so the public will make up the ending."
The comment further read, "His parents knew and they told them that and apologized and agreed to give a generous amount of money to make this go away and put it to bed. Because her dad said he would never settle."
The other user added, "The laundries should have been held accountable for their actions. The public needed answers."
One commentator wrote in the comment section, "This may not be the outcome anyone in the public wants. Of course we all want justice for Gabby. and her parents. This is what her family needed. It’s been roughly 3 years."
The user went on to state, "They need to be able to move on with their lives. This has all been financially and emotionally draining no doubt. I do hope they at least got some type of confession from the Laundries that they knew their son killed her and did/said nothing. I hope all those involved are able to live with the deal and move forward with their lives."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
