Gabby Petito's Family Would Consider A Settlement In Laundrie Lawsuit

SARASOTA, FL — An attorney for the family of Gabby Petito said they will consider a settlement in their lawsuit against the family and attorney of her killer fiance, Brian Laundrie, News Nation reported Monday.

"We would consider a settlement but it would have to be under the right terms, and no one has proposed proper terms or right terms for the family at this particular point in time. But a settlement is always a possibility," Patrick Reilly told Brian Entin.

Reilly, who represents Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, had been responding to recent court filings in which he claims Laundrie made a phone call to his parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, telling them that "Gabby's gone" and he needed a lawyer, according to the report.

The information reportedly derives from depositions of the Laundries, as well as their family attorney, Steven Bertolino.

In the lawsuit, it's alleged that the three knew of Petito's demise but allowed the family to believe she was still alive, thus inflicting emotional distress on her loved ones.

The lawsuit charges the family was made to believe Petito was alive because the Laundries, through Bertolino, released a statement saying that they hoped they would be reunited.

"It's really the only cause of action we could bring against Christopher and Roberta Laundrie," Reilly said.

The "import of the statements" is it supports the allegation that at the time that Laundrie made the statement hoping that Gabby would be reunited with her family it was meant to mean "she's going to be alive and it's going to be a happy reunion," he added. "At the time they made that particular statement they knew that she was deceased. And they had known that for about two weeks and kept quiet for that two week period, despite the place from the family to help find her."

Bertolino has previously expressed interest in a settlement though Reilly declined to discuss any details, according to reports.

In a statement to patch, Bertolino said that "there have been settlement offers that have not been responded to."

"Indeed I believe they were offered the best possible outcome over a year ago and it was met with silence," he said. "Furthermore, Joe Petito has testified that he will never settle. His goal is to make us suffer and have no control over our lives and make us spend money on lawyers. So much for Pat Reilly being forthright."

In an email, Reilly said Bertolino's comments are "not worthy of a response."

Petito was reported missing on Sept. 11, 2021, after contact was lost with her family during a cross-country trip that ended near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Laundrie drove home alone to his parents' house in Florida. Amid the massive cross-jurisdictional search for Petito involving multiple law enforcement agencies, Laundrie refused to speak with investigators.

Schmidt described how she wanted her daughter to come home to her in an interview with Patch just after her disappearance.

She had last saw her daughter in person in July for her son's graduation. She just wanted her to come home safe.

When asked what she would say to her daughter, she replied: “We love you so much. We just need to see you again. We need to know you're OK.”

Investigators have concluded Petito died around Aug. 28, 2021.

Petito's remains were found on Sept. 19, 2021, eight days after she was reported missing by Schmidt in her hometown of Suffolk County.

As the investigation into her disappearance was unfolding, footage surfaced from police bodycams showing Petito sobbing after a physical fight she had with Laundrie outside of a restaurant in Utah.

Laundrie ended up driving to a swamp and shot himself.

A notebook found near his remains a month after Petito was found contained his confession, admitting to strangling Petito after she fell into a ravine and was severely injured, according to the FBI.

In the two years since Petito died, her family started a foundation in her name that advocates for both domestic violence victims and the families of missing persons.

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