Families Of Gabby Petito And Brian Laundrie Reach Deal In Civil Lawsuit

The families of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie have reached a settlement in a civil suit related to her 2021 death during the couple’s ill-fated cross-country trip, it was announced Wednesday.

A resolution was “reluctantly agreed” upon by all parties to avoid further legal expenses and “prolonged personal conflict,” Petito’s family said in a statement released by their attorney, Pat Reilly.

The outcome, which will remain confidential, followed “a long day of mediation,” the family added.

“Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby,” the statement continued.

The families were scheduled to go to trial in May in Florida over the Petito family’s legal claims that the Laundries and their attorney, Steven Bertolino, intentionally withheld information about the 22-year-old’s death by Laundrie. The civil lawsuit sought more than $30,000 in damages for emotional distress.

Bertolino did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment Thursday.

Laundrie frantically called his family for help during his trip with Petito on Aug. 29, saying she was “gone” and that he needed a lawyer. Instead of helping Petito’s family amid their distress and confusion over their daughter’s whereabouts, Laundrie’s family immediately hired Bertolino and released a tight-lipped statement that expressed hope that Petito would be found, Reillytold HuffPost back in December.

“For the Laundries and Steven Bertolino to express their ‘hope’ that Gabrielle Petito was located and reunited with her family, at a time when they knew she had been murdered by Brian Laundrie was beyond outrageous,” the Petito family’s lawsuit against the Laundries and Bertolino