A Florida judge has refused to dismiss a in which the parents of Gabby Petito claim that Brian Laundrie told his parents he had killed her before he returned home alone from their western trip.
The decision Thursday by Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll means the lawsuit can proceed against Christopher and Robert Laundrie. Petito鈥檚 parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, contend the Laundries intentionally inflicted emotional distress in the case.
Petito鈥檚 disappearance on the couple鈥檚 trip in a converted van and the subsequent discovery of her slain body Sept. 19 in a Wyoming national park became a national obsession, with attention later shifting to a search for Laundrie in a Florida nature preserve.
The that Laundrie strangled Petito, 22 鈥� with whom he had previous domestic quarrels and violence 鈥� and that Laundrie fatally shot himself in the Carlton Reserve swamp after returning home alone Sept. 1.
The lawsuit claims the Laundries concealed that their son had confessed to the murder from investigators and Petito鈥檚 parents while the search for Gabby Petito was ongoing.
Carroll ruled that a statement released by the Laundries鈥� attorney on Sept. 14 expressing hope that Petito would be found may have been 鈥渄esigned to create a false hope鈥� when they knew she was already dead.
The Laundries deny the lawsuit鈥檚 claims. The lawsuit seeks at least $30,000 in damages.
Petito had been in regular contact with her parents and posted frequently on social media about their travels. The couple had a regular following before the murder mystery took hold.
The FBI says Laundrie sent text messages from Petito鈥檚 cellphone to her parents and others in an effort to pretend she was still alive. He was also charged with illegally using one of her credit cards before his remains were discovered in the Florida nature preserve.
