Gabby Petito case: Brian Laundrie’s parents could go on trial in weeks as judge cites Depp Heard case

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Gabby Petito’s father calls Laundrie family ‘cowards’

Lawyers for Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie will come face-to-face in court for the first time on Wednesday as a judge will decide whether a civil lawsuit against the killer’s family can go ahead.

Ms Petito’s parents filed a lawsuit in Florida’s Sarasota County Circuit Court in March alleging that Chris and Roberta Laundrie were aware that their son had killed the vlogger before she was reported missing.

Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt also accuse the Laundries of planning to help Brian leave the country, and are seeking damages for the “intentional infliction of emotional distress”.

Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino has described the allegations as “baseless” and is seeking to have the case thrown out, while the judge presiding over the case cited the defamation ruling against Johnny Depp, which was due to a statement made by his lawyer that Amber Heard’s abuse allegations were a “hoax”.

“Johnny Depp just got found civilly liable for defamation for what his attorney said, right?” the judge asked Wednesday.

The lawsuit alleges Brian Laundrie informed his parents of the Ms Petito’s murder “on or about” 28 August.

Judge Hunter W. Carroll will hear arguments from both sides to determine whether the case can proceed to a jury trial next year.

Petito parents allege Laundrie family knew she was dead

• Chris and Robert Laundrie seek to have case dismissed
• Petitos seeking jury trial and damages
• Gabby Petito was killed by manual strangulation by Laundrie
• Judge cites Depp Heard case during Laundrie hearing

[23 June 2022 14:01 · Graeme Massie]

Is justice coming to Yellowstone’s ‘Zone of Death’? Gabby Petito ignites call for action on lawless land

ICYMI: After decades of inaction, Idaho is pushing to address the infamous “Zone of Death” in its portion of Yellowstone National Park.

Last week, State Rep Colin Nash, a Democrat from Boise, introduced a measure asking the Congress to change the federal district court jurisdiction for the roughly 50-mile portion of the park in Idaho where presently a theory holds that people can commit crimes with impunity.

That’s right — there is a small portion of Yellowstone where legal experts believe it could be impossible to prosecute crimes.