Gabby Petito Update: Brian Laundrie's Parents Ordered To Pay $3M To Her Family
A Sarasota County Judge ordered Brian Laundrie's parents to pay Gabby Petito's family $3 million in a wrongful death lawsuit on Thursday.
Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt filed a civil suit against Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, claiming they knew their son killed Gabby and allowed him the chance to evade authorities. Petito was reported missing and found dead last year following a cross-country road trip with her fiance, who returned home to Florida without her and died by suicide before he was also found.
"The Petito family lost their daughter, and they were also denied the opportunity to confront her killer. No amount of money is sufficient to compensate the Petito family for the loss of their daughter, Gabby, at the hands of Brian Laundrie," Patrick Reilly, an attorney for Petito's family said in a statement.
The $3 million awarded to the Petito family will just be "an arbitrary number" considering Laundrie is not believed to have had that much in assets. The Petito family plans to donate any money that is given to the Gabby Petito Foundation which was created for domestic abuse awareness.
The Petito family has insisted awareness of the cause is their most important goal although they were left to pay for all of their daughters' funeral costs.
"As a direct and proximate consequence of Brian Laundrie's tortious conduct, Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and have suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort," the lawsuit said after being filed in May.
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