The judge himself talks about the emotion in this case.
This is a Civil Case not a Criminal Case. Emotional damage is part of many Cvil Cases, this one included.
Take the emotion out and you have no case.
Yes take the emotion out of a Criminal Case and weigh the cold hard pieces of evidence, but the Petito's are suing for emotional damage in a
Civil Lawsuit.
A judge has denied a motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit stemming from the death of Gabby Petito at the hands of her fiancé, Brian Laundrie.
www.courttv.com
Petito family wins right to sue Laundries for emotional distress
Gabby’s parents claim intentional infliction of emotional distress by the Laundries.......
Judge Hunter Carroll repeatedly asked about the legal duty that the Laundries had to volunteer any information they had to Schmidt and Petito.
The Laundries’ lawyer stated that they had no legal obligation to speak up to Schmidt and Petito.....
However, the judge pointed out, that the Laundries had spoken publicly, through attorney Steven Bertolino...... “On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that [she] is reunited with her family.
“If the facts of this case truly were about silence,” the judge’s opinion continues, “the Court would have resolved this case in the Laundries’ favor.”
“Because the Laundries’ statement by their attorney is
objectively outrageous,” the judge wrote, “the Court concludes that
Plaintiffs have stated causes of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress against the Laundries.”