Gabby Petito’s parents are suing Brian Laundrie’s family attorney over “insensitive, cold-hearted and outrageous” statements he made as they searched for the missing vlogger.
Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt allege that Steven Bertolino knew that their daughter was dead when he made a statement expressing “hope” that she would be found alive on 14 September last year.
The 22-year-old’s remains were found in a shallow grave in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park on 19 September after embarking on a cross-country road trip with Brian Laundrie.
Her family claimed in a in a suit filed earlier this year in Sarasota, Florida, that Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta, knew she was dead and the location of her remains but refused to tell them.
On Tuesday, the Petito’s attorney Patrick Reilly said in a statement obtained by NewsNation’s Brian Entin that they had filed a motion requesting to add Mr Bertolino to the civil lawsuit.
“When they did choose to speak, it was through statements issued by Steven Bertolino, including a statement on September 14, 2021 that it was the ‘hope’ of the Laundrie family ‘that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family,’” Mr Reilly said. “It is believed that at the time the September 14, 2021 statement was issued, the Laundries and Steven Bertolino knew that Gabby Petito was deceased, and that under those circumstances, the statement was insensitive, cold-hearted and outrageous.”
Gabby’s parents Mr Petito and Ms Schmidt were awarded $3m in damages in November after filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Brian Laundrie’s estate.
They are also suing the City of Moab Police Department for $50m for allegedly failing to spot that she was in danger during a traffic stop days before her murder.
After going on the run, Brian Laundrie’s remains were found on 20 October in a Florida reserve a few miles from his parent’s home.
Mr Bertolino did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
