Gabby Petito’s family settles wrongful death suit for $3 million a year after her murder

The family of Gabby Petito, a “van life” influencer murdered by her fiance Brian Laundrie in 2021, reached a $3 million settlement Thursday in a wrongful death lawsuit against Laundrie’s family.

The money from the settlement, which was signed by Sarasota County Circuit Judge Hunter W. Carroll, will benefit the Gabby Petito Foundation, the family’s lawyer Patrick Reilly told CBS. The organization, founded after Petito’s death, is devoted to stopping domestic violence and searching for missing persons.

“The Petito family lost their daughter and they were also denied the opportunity to confront her killer,” Reilly told CBS. “No amount of money is sufficient to compensate the Petito family for the loss of their daughter, Gabby, at the hands of Brian Laundrie.”

Petito’s family also filed in November a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Moab, Utah, police. The lawsuit names the police department, three of its officers and 10 other defendants for their “negligent failure” in investigating the fight.

Days before Petito’s death, Moab police responded to a “domestic dispute” between Petito and Laundrie. The officers ultimately allowed the couple to reunite despite warning signs of domestic violence.

Laundrie, 23, murdered Petito, 22, during a cross-country road trip she posted about on social media. Millions around the world followed the case, speculating about Petito’s disappearance and grieving her death when her body was found in a Wyoming national park in September 2021.

The case concluded a month later, when Laundrie’s remains were found in a Sarasota County nature preserve. Police say Laundrie died by suicide and left a note confessing to Petito’s murder.