Here is what the Petitos are suing the parties for:
Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt are suing Laundrie's parents and their attorney, claiming they intentionally withheld information about 22-year-old Gabby Petito's death, causing them pain and emotional distress.
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When the Laundries were told by Brian that Gabby was GONE they admit that at that time they were concerned for her and admitted that death crossed their minds. Yes - the actual possibility that GONE meant Gabby was dead.
They admit they were worried about her - what does worry mean? Think about it.
So instead of telling the Petitos that they were CONCERNED for Gabby and that HER POSSIBLY BEING DEAD CROSSED THEIR MINDS - because Brian was extremely upset saying she was GONE - they put out a misleading statement.
The judge ruled the case could move forward in part to a statement released by their attorney as Gabby’s parents were mounting a search for her in Grand Teton National Park.
The statement in part reads: “On behalf of the Laundrie family, it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family.”
The statement itself is not outrageous, but “when juxtaposed with the other conduct in the case, though, the outrageous threshold is surpassed,” according to the Judge's ruling.
If the Laundries made their statement while they knew Gabby was dead and where she was found, then it was “particularly callous and cruel, and it is sufficiently outrageous to state claims for international infliction of emotional distress,” according to the Judge's ruling.
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Other conduct includes ....
They took this (camping) vacation each knowing that Gabby was dead and that her parents were frantically looking for her.
They ignored all the Petito's efforts to contact them.
A lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito’s parents against the Laundrie family will move forward. Circuit Judge Hunter W. Carroll issued the ruling Thursday morning. At issue is whether Brian Laundrie’s parents knew that their son killed Gabby before he fled back to Florida. The Petito family filed the...
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