Found Deceased WY - Gabby Petito, Grand Teton National Park #88

[Cool Cats]

BBM. WFLA didn't provide a link to the court documents. Click on the link and there is nothing there. It is click-bait.

The affidavit attorney Steve Bertoloni filed on Feb.08, 2024 isn't click bait. It is very real.

JMO

Defendant Steven Bertolinos Exhibit List | PDF | Justice | Crime & Violence

Steven Bertolinos Exhibit List

www.scribd.com

Is it click bait that the Laundries are going to try to settle this in mediation on February 21st?

Why settle if innocent?

Can't change the facts.

2 Cents

 

[Trooper]

Because they were covering up Brian's crime and then went camping pretending everything is fine. No wonder people were in front of their house. Not right that people were but I understand the palpable community anger.

The jury will likely feel it too.

2 Cents

And that's why the Laundries wanted to settle. The Problem the Laundries had, from the beginning, was, they took a knife to a gunfight, they really needed a PR lawyer. Some one with smarts who knew how to lower the temperature of things, but they took up with a conveyancing bloke, not a good choice for the greasy, murderous swamp their son had dropped them into.. It was handled completely wrong from the start, but .. this is why courts exist, to RIGHT WRONGS.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

No, this is not click bait <modsnip>

They, by law, cannot link a settlement offer! This cannot be done. Never is done!

The Petitos allowed a person close to the case to speak for them saying they would not accept the L's offer as it was only about money and no apology. Joe Petito said he wouldn't accept their settlement of any amount. Links posted earlier.

2 Cents.

Why can't the court documents be linked? By what law?

 

[Deleted member 39678]

Because they were covering up Brian's crime and then went camping pretending everything is fine. No wonder people were in front of their house. Not right that people were but I understand the palpable community anger.

The jury will likely feel it too.

2 Cents

If the jury is angry with the defendants before hearing any evidence at trial then I see that as a great injustice. JMO.

 

[Cool Cats]

And that's why the Laundries wanted to settle. The Problem the Laundries had, from the beginning, was, they took a knife to a gunfight, they really needed a PR lawyer. Some one with smarts who knew how to lower the temperature of things, but they took up with a conveyancing bloke, not a good choice for the greasy, murderous swamp their son had dropped them into.. It was handled completely wrong from the start, but .. this is why courts exist, to RIGHT WRONGS.

Very well put.

Bertolini was able to use the law of client attorney privilege to not have to give a deposition on Brian's conversations to him but he was on the wrong side of the law when he made a misleading public statement on behalf of his clients.

This caused the judge to deny all the Laundrie's Motions that desperately tried to get the case dismissed.

This caused there to be merit in the lawsuit and allowed it to proceed. No wonder the L's appear desperate to settle.

2 Cents

 

[Cool Cats]

Why can't the court documents be linked? By what law?

You can't publish settlement offers when your in the middle of negotiations. I know this from myself being in negotiations. Doing this could cause the party to lose their case as it hurts the other party's right to privacy.

When in discussions with attorneys there is strict confidentiality parameters.

Also, it is in most settlement agreements that the settlement must stay confidential. If this is not stated in the final settlement then yes, absolutely, it can be publicized and the MSM can link it.

2 Cents

 

[Trooper]

Very well put.

Bertolini was able to use the law of client attorney privilege to not have to give a deposition on Brian's conversations to him but he was on the wrong side of the law when he made a misleading public statement on behalf of his clients.

This caused the judge to deny all the Laundrie's Motions that desperately tried to get the case dismissed.

This caused their to be merit in the lawsuit and Ali as it to proceed. No wonder the L's appear desperate to settle.

2 Cents

Precisely. There should be an emoji for a 'chefs kiss'

 

[Sillybilly]

Hey folks,

If you're going to argue law, you had better provide links.

Florida Mediation Settlement Agreements and Confidentiality

​

 

[Sillybilly]

Thread is closed for the night.

Please do not send any more Reports overnight. Thanks !!

 

[Knitty]

Thread is open.

That doesn't mean you should go ahead and break the rules just because a mod is awake.

Thanks in advance!

Knitty,
Moderator

 

[ch_13]

And that's why the Laundries wanted to settle. The Problem the Laundries had, from the beginning, was, they took a knife to a gunfight, they really needed a PR lawyer. Some one with smarts who knew how to lower the temperature of things, but they took up with a conveyancing bloke, not a good choice for the greasy, murderous swamp their son had dropped them into.. It was handled completely wrong from the start, but .. this is why courts exist, to RIGHT WRONGS.

This was one of the surprising things we learned in the depositions. That Bertolino was a longtime acquaintance of the Laundrie's and they had even done business together in the past, buying and selling properties.

Looking at his website, he is a jack-of-all-trades attorney. Claiming to do real estate, business law, litigation, personal injury law and criminal law.

I think he was over his head trying to represent both the Laundrie parents as well as Brian in this matter. First there's a conflict in their interests. And second, his inexperience with PR and crisis management led him to several blunders.

Especially the infamous "our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful" statement, which IMO he put out because he didn't want himself or the Laudrie's to look like bad people. I very much doubt an attorney better versed in high profile cases of this type would have ever released this statement, knowing what he knew. (And yes, from the evidence that's been presented, I believe that both he and the Laundrie's knew full well that Gabby was dead.)

 

[Sundog]

And if the L's and Bertolino tired to settle it means they are guilty.

<snipped for focus>

People choose to settle cases for lots of different reasons. Perhaps the L's and B have concluded they will never get a fair trial in this civil case. Or some other reason. I wouldn't assume guilt of people who settle matters in civil court.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

<snipped for focus>

People choose to settle cases for lots of different reasons. Perhaps the L's and B have concluded they will never get a fair trial in this civil case. Or some other reason. I wouldn't assume guilt of people who settle matters in civil court.

Good points.

Kind of hard to get a fair trial if the community is angry with them. JMO.

 

[housewife]

These are some of CL's deposition quotes, here he admits that most people ("anybody") feel an obligation as a parent to contact the other parents. (I will be quoting more later, but I'm grouping the quotes by subject for clarification).

Q. Did you consider how the Petitos might be feeling, not knowing where their daughter was?
A. I'm a -- I'm a considerate person. Of course I was. It was not a pleasant thing of any --for anybody, I'm sure.
Q. Well, you know you could have made an anonymous phone call to report something,right?
A. I have no idea. That's not my place. I'm taking advice from an attorney and we're doing -- we're just doing what he advised.
Q. Did you feel any obligation at all as a parent to contact the Petito family?
A. Anybody's going to think that way, but, you know, I didn't, you know.
Q. You didn't feel that way?
A. No. I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I should have done it maybe, but I didn't, and then that's that,but, you know, what do you (gestures)
_____

Q. And you knew that her parents would have wanted to know if something happened to her, correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Okay. Did you consider calling her parents?
A. No.

 

[housewife]

More of CL's deposition quotes, here he describes his understanding that something was wrong regarding Gabby:

A. He said -- I said he seemed okay, yes.
Q. Okay. He wasn't upset?
A. At that point, no.
Q. Wasn't angry?
A. No. He was confused, but he -- you know, very subtle, so I don't -- but something was wrong.
Q. What was he confused about?
A. I have no idea. You know, he just seemed -- you're asking me how he was. I'm saying,
you know, he was like a kid who came home, you know, in trouble, but that's how he seemed.
Q. A kid who came home in trouble for what?
A. I have no idea.
__

Q. Did he say he'd murdered Gabby?
A. No.
Q. He said she was gone?
A. He said it several times.
Q. And he was frantic?
A. Frantic.
Q. And he said he needed a lawyer?
A. He did.
Q. Okay. Did you understand that to mean that something had happened to Gabby?
A. I understood it that something was wrong.

 

[housewife]

More of CL's deposition quotes, here he admits he suspected Gabby might be dead after Brian's frantic call:

Q. Did you tell Attorney Bertolino that you were concerned that Gabby was dead?
A. After the conversation of how frantic he was and, you know, it was something I thought we had to consider.
__
Q. So did there come a point between the time Brian disclosed to you that Gabby was gone and the issuance of this statement on September xth of that you thought maybe she just didn't walk away?
A. It was -- it was becoming more of a thought, I guess, yeah.
Q. Is it fair to say that by this point in time you knew she was dead?
A. I didn't know.
Q. You didn't know?
A. No.
Q. Okay. But you had a suspicion that she was, correct?
A. Unfortunately, it was a thought, yeah.
__

(I deleted all line numbers for editing, I accidentally removed the date quoted)

 

[housewife]

More of CL's deposition quotes, he can't explain why they hired a lawyer if Gabby was simply missing:
__
Q. Well, did you -- when you gave him a retainer of $, what was that to retain him for?
A. To represent us in the -- in the – in what was going on.
Q. Why did you need representation?
A. That's how I -- I thought anybody would want representation.
Q. Why?
A. Because it's what anybody does.
Q. Well, but you didn't -- you knew Gabby was gone. You're not willing to admit that you knew she was dead. You think she could have walked away. So why did you need representation?
A. Because we didn't know where Gabby was, and I don't know. That's what you do.
Q. What does that have to do with you not knowing where Gabby was?
A. I -- I -- I don't know.
__
(Again I deleted all numbers and accidentally deleted the retainer fee amount)

 

[Cool Cats]

<snipped for focus>

People choose to settle cases for lots of different reasons. Perhaps the L's and B have concluded they will never get a fair trial in this civil case. Or some other reason. I wouldn't assume guilt of people who settle matters in civil court.

Yup. Any number of reasons.

The top 2 from what I have seen are to avoid the expense of a trial and to avoid a jury verdict awarding the plaintiff too much money.

It could be much less to settle than what a jury would award.

2 Cents

 

[Sundog]

These are some of CL's deposition quotes, here he admits that most people ("anybody") feel an obligation as a parent to contact the other parents. (I will be quoting more later, but I'm grouping the quotes by subject for clarification).

Q. Did you consider how the Petitos might be feeling, not knowing where their daughter was?
A. I'm a -- I'm a considerate person. Of course I was. It was not a pleasant thing of any --for anybody, I'm sure.
Q. Well, you know you could have made an anonymous phone call to report something,right?
A. I have no idea. That's not my place. I'm taking advice from an attorney and we're doing -- we're just doing what he advised.
Q. Did you feel any obligation at all as a parent to contact the Petito family?
A. Anybody's going to think that way, but, you know, I didn't, you know.
Q. You didn't feel that way?
A. No. I didn't do it. I didn't do it. I should have done it maybe, but I didn't, and then that's that,but, you know, what do you (gestures)
_____

Q. And you knew that her parents would have wanted to know if something happened to her, correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Okay. Did you consider calling her parents?
A. No.

Sounds like he explained that on the advice of his attorney, he refrained from contacting the family.

 

[DFWNF]

If the jury is angry with the defendants before hearing any evidence at trial then I see that as a great injustice. JMO.

Hi Ranch. Do you have any possible solutions for handling a situation like that?