NORTH PORT, Fla. — The family of Gabby Petito will get a jury trial in their suit against the parents of Brian Laundrie.
Documents filed in Sarasota County (Fla.) this week show a civil jury trial scheduled to begin Aug. 14, 2023. A preliminary hearing has been set for May.
The suit filed in March alleges the Laundrie family withheld information from police that would have helped the Petitos in the search for their daughter. Their suit also claims the Laundries helped Brian avoid police, and in doing so, inflicted intentional emotional stress.
The Laundries filed a motion to throw the case out, but a judge ruled in favor of the Petito family.
Gabby Petito went missing last summer while on a road trip with Brian Laundrie. Her remains were discovered in September in the Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming.
After a 30-day search for Laundrie, his body was found in the Myakkahatchee State Park in Florida. Investigators say he killed himself and left a note that said he also killed Petito.
