Brian Laundrie's Parents Shut Down in Attempt to Dismiss Petito Family's Lawsuit, Judge Moves Trial Date
June 16 2023, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
The parents of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie are one step closer to trial after a Florida judge denied all the motions to dismiss the case, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Petito and Laundrie made headlines in 2021 after Gabby went missing on a cross-country road trip with her then fiancé and was found dead. Brian later killed himself and confessed to murdering Petito in what he called a mercy killing.
As RadarOnline.com reported, the Petitos accused the Laundries and their lawyer, Steven Bertolino, of knowing Gabby was deceased when they issued a public statement on Sept. 14, 2021, in which they said they had hoped she would be reunited with her family.
The trial was initially set for August 14, 2023, and will now be delayed until May 2024 with Judge Danielle Brewer's latest ruling.
In documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Judge Brewer said, "After review of all factual allegations of the Second Amended Complaint, and all reasonable inferences arising from the allegations in favor the (Petitos) it can be reasonably inferred that the conduct alleged was directed toward the (Petitos)."
The Laundries wanted the case dismissed, arguing that Bertolino's comment about Gabby being "reunited with her family" could be referencing the return of her remains, court documents showed.
But Judge Brewer didn't buy it.
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"To the extent (the Laundries) made additional arguments to support dismissal in their motion or at the hearing as to same, the court has determined that none are sufficient to preclude the court at the motion to dismiss stage from concluding that the Second Amended Complaint," Brewer wrote in the Wednesday ruling.
Judge Brewer felt that argument wasn't strong enough to toss the legal battle.
Following the decision, Bertolino said he was "disappointed" with the ruling.
"At this stage of the process the plaintiffs’ allegations have to be accepted as true and the court can not consider anything not contained in the complaint," Bertolino told Fox News Digital. "As the process moves forward, I am confident that the plaintiffs will not be able to provide the proof necessary to support their baseless allegations."
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Brian's mom has also been under scrutiny after a letter revealed the lengths she would go to help her child before instructing him to "burn after reading."
"If you're in jail I will bake a cake and put a file in it," Roberta Laundrie wrote in the shocking letter. "If you need to dispose of a body. I will show up with a shovel and garbage bags."
She has denied having knowledge of Petito's death or her son's involvement.
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