What the Gabby Petito Documentary Didn’t Show
Several court cases surround the tragedy today.
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Even though the search for Gabby Petito played out live on television and TikTok during the summer of 2021, Netflix is sharing new details in a three-part true-crime docuseries, American Murder: Gabby Petito. The series, which is currently No. 1 on Netflix, delves deeper into the relationship between the 22- and 23-year-olds, from what happened after Gabby went missing to the final days of Gabby’s and Brian Laundrie’s lives.
In spring 2021, Gabby, originally from Blue Point, New York, set off on a journey to become a travel influencer and to document her #VanLife adventures with her fiancé throughout Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Only a few months later, Gabby’s remains were found on September 19 in the Grand Teton National Park. A coroner later determined that she died due to blunt-force trauma to the head and neck and manual strangulation. Several weeks later, Brian, who was named a person of interest, died by suicide in a Florida park, and the FBI reported they found a note in which he claimed responsibility for her death.
Featuring interviews with the Petito family, friends of both Gabby and Brian, and officials involved in the search for Gabby, the doc also offers a polarizing choice to many: an AI rendering of Gabby’s voice reading her journal entries out loud for the first time. But even in delving deeper into her final days, the documentary still didn’t show everything. Below, the court cases that aren’t featured on Netflix.
A wrongful death civil settlement
In March 2024, Gabby’s family secured a $3 million wrongful death settlement from Brian’s parents, Roberta and Christopher Laundrie. The settlement came after the Petito family filed a civil lawsuit against the Laundries in Florida in November 2022, citing mental suffering and anguish over the loss of their daughter. The complaint alleged that his parents withheld Brian’s confession to them that he killed Gabby, refused to respond to the Petitos or law enforcement when they were looking for their daughter, and were even making arrangements for Brian to leave the country.
When asked for comment, the Laundries’ attorney, Steven P. Bertolino, shared the following statement: “The documentary was what we expected. One perspective depicted as the ‘truth’ as seen through their lens. Similar to Republicans and Democrats fighting it out lately. Each side believes their perspective is correct. Hard to see through the lens of the other with all the noise and distrust.
The documentary contained many inaccuracies, incorrect juxtapositions of timelines, and misstatements and omissions of fact — perhaps deliberate to capture their ‘truth,’ perhaps due to simple error.
We all know Brian took Gabby’s life and Brian then took his own as well. Let the parents of both Gabby and Brian mourn and remember them in peace.”
A civil lawsuit
The Petito family also settled a separate civil lawsuit they brought against the Laundries and Bertolino last February. Details of the settlement were confidential, but both sides released statements afterward. Gabby’s parents said in a statement that “all parties reluctantly agreed” to the confidential terms “to avoid further legal expenses and prolonged personal conflict. Our hope is to close this chapter of our lives to allow us to move on and continue to honor the legacy of our beautiful daughter, Gabby.”
A lawsuit against the Moab police
Gabby’s family sued Utah’s Moab Police Department, seeking $50 million in damages in November 2022, alleging that the police officers who pulled over their daughter and Laundrie did not do enough to protect Gabby after receiving a 911 call that reported Brian slapping Gabby. The lawsuit was dismissed in November 2024 due to a state law prohibiting lawsuits against government agencies. However, the Petitos have appealed that decision and are now seeking to overturn the 1996 state precedent that currently limits wrongful death claims against Utah government departments.
“While the ruling today may feel like a setback, it was not unexpected,” they said in a statement to the Associated Press after the case was dismissed and announcing their decision to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court. “We never anticipated that this would be an easy process and look forward to the Utah Supreme Court upholding the Utah constitution’s original intent to preserve the right to recover for wrongful death claims under these circumstances. We remain committed to pursuing justice for Gabby and thank the many people who have continued to support us in that fight.”
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