A settlement proposal has been offered to the father and mother of Gabby Petito as part of their lawsuit against Brian Laundrie’s parents and their attorney, WFLA-TV reports.
Petito’s parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, are suing Laundrie’s parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, and Steven Bertolino, an attorney who represented Laundrie’s parents, for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The suit alleges that Laundrie’s parents knew their son murdered Petito, a Long Island native, but did virtually nothing except to express hope that she would be located.
Court documents obtained by the television station show that Bertolino recently sent a “proposal of settlement” to Petito’s parents.
It is not clear whether the proposal is on behalf of Bertolino only or is also on behalf of Laundrie’s parents; court records related to the proposal do not mention the Laundries, according to WFLA-TV.
Nor is it clear whether Petito’s parents might be willing to accept the offer. Terms of the proposed settlement have not been released publicly.
Lawyer Pat Reilly, who represents Petito’s parents, said he is not able to comment on the settlement offer. “Confidential,” Reilly told WFLA-TV. “I can’t discuss.”
Bertolino told WFLA-TV in a statement: “Settlement, discussions and proposals are part of the process with every civil litigation. This case is no different.”
Petito’s parents were scheduled to be questioned in depositions last month. Laundrie’s parents are expected to face questions in depositions scheduled for October 10 and 11, and Laundrie’s sister Cassie is expected to be questioned November 6, according to WWSB-TV.
A jury trial is scheduled for May 2024.
Petito, 22, went missing in August 2021 while on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie, 23, then her fiancé. Her remains were found at a campsite in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming on September 19, 2021. Authorities concluded that she died by manual strangulation.
After murdering Petito, Laundrie is believed to have driven the van the couple was traveling in back to his parents’ home in North Port, Florida, where he arrived on September 1 alone. He refused to discuss what happened with Petito’s parents, who reported her missing to police.
Laundrie would later drive to a nearby nature reserve in Florida about 10 minutes from his parents’ home, where he committed suicide. Investigators recovered what appeared to be a written confession by Laundrie that he murdered Petito.
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[Feature Photo: Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie/Instagram]
