Gabby Petito lawsuit: Brian Laundrie's parents ask judge to limit scope of questioning in civil case
Gabby Petito's parents are suing Brian Laundrie's parents in a Florida court
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Attorneys for Brian Laundrie’s parents filed a motion asking the court to enforce a narrow line of questioning when they are deposed in December in a civil lawsuit connected with their son’s slaying of Gabby Petito.
The defense is asking Judge Hunter Carroll to limit questions to details between Aug. 27, 2021, when Petito is believed to have been strangled and bludgeoned to death in Wyoming, and Sept. 19, when search teams found her body there.
"We are just looking to confine the questioning to matters and the time frame relevant to the claim that has been filed," Laundrie family attorney Steve Bertolino said Friday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The motion, filed last week, acknowledges that Petito’s family and the public at large are seeking more answers in connection with the slaying – but argues that public interest is not enough to compel the Laundries to answer a broader range of questions.
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Brian Laundrie's parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie are seen outside their home in Sarasota County, Florida on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
"The public who followed the case and the Plaintiffs are likely curious about Brian Laundrie’s life, his last days, his interaction with his parents, and the thoughts and feelings experienced by his parents," Laundrie attorney Matthew Luka wrote in the filing. "But curiosity is not a reason to require the Defendants to discuss such personal and heart-wrenching details. Rather, the discovery must be relevant to the cause of action at issue."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}GABBY PETITO AND BRIAN LAUNDRIE: BOMBSHELL VIDEO EMERGES SHOWING HOURS BEFORE MURDER
He argued that any questioning of the Laundries focused on topics other than in regard to a statement Bertolino made on Sept. 14, 2021, are "irrelevant" to the lawsuit and would only "embarrass, annoy, oppress and burden" the Laundries.
READ THE MOTION:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Petito’s parents allege in the lawsuit that the Laundries knew their son had killed his former fiancé when they went for a family camping trip in early September 2021.
The lawsuit as taken issue with Bertolino’s statement, which was the following:
"It is our understanding that a search has been organized for Miss Petito in or near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. 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. On the advice of counsel, the Laundrie family is remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment."
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Police in Moab, Utah, stopped Brian Laundrie on Aug. 12 after he allegedly slapped Gabby Petito in public. (Moab City Police Department)
Pat Reilly, an attorney for the Petito family, called the statement "audacious" in a conversation with reporters outside the Sarasota courthouse earlier this year after the Laundries' attorneys filed a failed motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.
"For the Laundries to express their ‘hope’ that Gabrielle Petito was located and reunited with her family, at a time when they knew she had been murdered by their son, was beyond outrageous," the amended complaint reads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This combo of photos provided by FBI Denver via @FBIDenver shows Gabby Petito. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country trip in a converted camper van with her boyfriend. (FBI Denver via AP)
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Judge Hunter Carroll scheduled a Nov. 22 hearing on the motion.
The morning after the filing, Petito’s mother Nichole Schmidt tweeted a Carl Jung quote: "People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls."