A $50 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit Will Be Filed By Gabby Petito’s Family Against Utah Police
Officers failed to realize that Petito was in danger when they stopped the couple on 12 August last year, according to the lawsuit
Earlier this week, the family of Gabby Petito announced that they were planning to file a $50 million lawsuit against Utah police for wrongful death.
They claim that police officers in the small desert town of Moab, who stopped Petito and boyfriend Brian Laundrie a year ago, failed to realize that their daughter was being abused.
A $50 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit Will Be Filed By Gabby Petito’s Family Against Utah Police
It is alleged in the notice of a forthcoming claim that when officers stopped the couple on 12 August 2021, they did not recognize that Petito, 22, was in danger at the time.
A body-camera video later showed a visibly upset Petito speaking with officers on the side of the road in an attempt to resolve the situation.
A few days after requiring the couple to spend a night apart after requiring them to spend a night apart, the officers allowed the couple to proceed on a cross-country van trip without intervening.
After being named the sole person of interest in the disappearance of Laundrie, 23, he later committed suicide in a Florida swamp after committing suicide.
In October of last year, his body was found. There was a confession to her murder contained in a notebook.
According to attorney James McConkie, if Gabby had been properly trained and followed the law, she would still be alive today if the officers had been properly trained and followed the law.
As McConkie explained in a press conference in Salt Lake City, the officers failed to recognize the serious danger that she was in, and they failed to investigate the matter fully and properly.
This is what he said about “clear signs that were evident that morning that Gabby was a victim and that she was in serious need of help as soon as possible”.
Nicole Schmidt, Petito’s mother, who appeared by video at a news conference to announce the claim, described watching the body camera video as a “very painful experience” during a press conference.
As a result of an independent investigation conducted earlier this year, it was found that Moab police made “several unintentional mistakes” when they intercepted Petito and Laundrie.
According to the police report, it was highly likely that Petito was a victim of domestic violence for a long period of time, whether it be physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.
Laundrie’s parents have already sued Petito’s family, alleging that they knew about Petito’s death since about 28 August last year, as their son had told them about him.
The laundry family decided not to inform Petito’s family or respond to their pleas for help, but instead issued a statement saying, “it is our hope that the search for Miss Petito is successful, and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family in the near future.”.
This claim has been allowed to move forward by a Florida judge.