The tragic murder of Gabby Petito at the hands of her finance Brian Laundrie in 2021 has garnered much national attention and news coverage. With the discovery of her remains and the suicide of Brian Laundrie effectively settling the criminal case, a lawsuit has been brought on by the parents of Gabby Petito against the parents of Brian Laundrie. In this suit they are seeking damages from the Laundrie family for mental anguish due to the fact that they knew that Brian had murdered Gabby and not worked with investigators or prosecutors to seek justice.
Weighing in on the matter, personal injury attorney David Di Pietro was brought on LiveNOW Fox, where he explained how the case would be challenging to be successful under Florida Law. He explained that the statute requires that physical contact or actually witnessing the crime is required in order for a mental anguish lawsuit to hold water, and just simply being aware of it occurring does not meet the requirements to seek damages. He also stated that even if they were to seek any damages, the most that they would be able to recover is from Brian’s estate, not his parents in this case.
David Di Pietro was requested to appear on Fox News as a legal analyst due to his extensive background in lawsuits involving personal injury and emotional distress.