$50M Petito Lawsuit Against UT Cops A ‘Stunt,' Lawyer Says: Report

LONG ISLAND, NY — A $50 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Gabby Petito against Moab City, Utah police officers is nothing more than “a publicity stunt,” an attorney for the officers told The U.S. Sun.

“Even if the plaintiffs believe that Moab City is liable, it strains credibility to suggest the city is 15-20 times more responsible for Ms. Petito’s death than Brian Laundrie, her murderer,” attorney Mitchell Stephens told the outlet.

Petito, last heard from at the end of August 2021, was killed at the hands of Laundrie, her fiancé, who admitted to strangling her to death during a cross-country trip in a written confession. Her body was found Sept. 19, 2021, at a Wyoming campground.

Prior to their trip, the couple lived with his parents at their North Port, Florida home. Laundrie later took his own life in a nearby Sarasota County park.

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About 15 days before this, the van-life couple was pulled over in Utah after a witness told 911 they saw Laundrie slapping Petito outside the Moonflower Community Cooperative in Moab and driving off without her.

In bodycam footage released by police after the traffic stop, an emotional Petito told officers that she was struggling with her mental health and the couple had been fighting over personal issues. Police also said Petito slapped Laundrie, but he never hit her.

Neither wanted to press charges after the incident, and there were no serious injuries, according to a police report. Police, at the time, categorized the incident as a “mental/emotional health break,” Patch previously reported.

The couple was urged to separate for the evening and police helped Laundrie get a hotel for the night, while Petito stayed with her van.

Petito’s family filed a $50 million lawsuit against Moab City police in November, claiming their officers didn’t follow the department’s protocols for domestic violence incidents. Her family and their legal team argued this could have saved her life.

"When called, Moab's officers responded with kindness and respect,” Stephens said. "They also separated Ms. Petito and Mr. Laundrie for the night. The next morning, Ms. Petito and Mr. Laundrie chose to continue their ongoing road trip, traveling hundreds of miles together over the following weeks."