Brian Laundrie's Parents Defend 'Silence' During Gabby Petito Search

SARASOTA, FL — The parents of Brian Laundrie are defending their decision to remain silent during the search for Gabby Petito last year, calling it the right thing to do given the unique circumstances.

Lawyers for Chris and Roberta Laundrie filed the latest response in an updated 21-page motion for dismissal Friday. It comes after Gabby's parents sued the Laundries for “intentional infliction of emotional distress” earlier this year.

Petito, 22, was slain while on a cross-country trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, last year. In January, after four months of investigating the disappearance and death of Petito, the FBI said that Laundrie, admitted to her slaying before committing suicide.

According to a lawsuit filed by Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, Gabby Petito's parents, on March 10, they claim that Laundrie's parents knew their son murdered Gabby by Aug. 28 yet kept silent. They're seeking "damages that exceed $30,000 exclusive of prejudgment, interest, costs and attorney fees."

SEE ALSO:

• Laundries Went On Vacation Knowing Location Of Petito's Body: Lawsuit
• Gabby Petito's Mother Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit: Reports
• Brian Laundrie's Autopsy Released By Medical Examiner's Office
• Brian Laundrie Confessed To Killing Petito In Notebook: FBI
• Petito, Laundrie Lawsuit: Jury Trial Set For 2023 In Sarasota County

Throughout the search for their daughter, Petito and Schmidt said the Laundries "acted with malice or great indifference" by not responding to them.

However, in the complaint to dismiss the lawsuit, lawyers for the Laundries argue their choice to remain silent is "what most people would and should do in such a situation."

"The Laundries' decision to exercise their constitutional rights to silence, privacy and counsel, and to have their attorney speak for them under such trying circumstances and media pressure could not be further from conduct that is extreme or goes beyond all bounds of decency," a portion of the motion reads.

The families are scheduled to face each other in court for the first time on June 30 at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom, according to records from Sarasota County's Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller.

Unless a judge does, in fact, dismiss the lawsuit, a trial by jury is expected to take place in mid-August 2023 in Sarasota.

Petito’s mother has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the curator of Laundrie’s estate. Her lawsuit is seeking $30,000 and demands a trial by jury, as well as a judgment for compensatory damages.