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If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
The Landry family’s attorney, Steve Bertolino, said he wished the Petite Schmidt family “good luck” in their wrongful death lawsuit against Moab police in Utah on Monday, but the officers involved did something wrong. He said he did not believe
Moab police responded to a domestic violence call claiming Brian Landry, 23, publicly slapped ex-fiancée Gabby Petite, 22, outside a grocery store on the city’s main street. Almost a year later, Petite’s parents announced their intentions. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging that the police mishandled her daughter’s phone calls after failing to recognize that her daughter was a victim of domestic violence.
Police officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins separated the couple overnight, leaving Petite in their converted camper van and dropping Laundry off at a local motel.
Gabby Petito’s parents announce wrongful death lawsuit against Moab police over Brian Landry’s 911 call
Bertolino said he was speaking for himself, not Chris or Roberta Landry.
“In my view, Moab police were not involved in any way in the death of Gabby Petite,” said the New York-based attorney who represented Brian Landry before his death. “My understanding of the Moab incident is that Gabby was the perpetrator and admitted on camera that he punched Brian in the first place.”
Lawyers for Petite’s parents announced Monday a notice of claim for a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab Police Department and several employees who were directly and indirectly involved in the call.
Gaby Petito’s mother slams Brian Landry’s notebook confession
“According to the Moab Police report, they could have arrested Gabby, but they didn’t, and instead separated Brian and Gabby,” Bertolino said. “Five full days after the Moab incident, Brian flew back from Salt Lake City to Florida. I was in touch with other people.”
Landry flew home to Florida for a week, then returned to Utah, where he and Petite continued their cross-country vanlife road trip, but it didn’t last long. By the end of August, Petito was beaten and suffocated at a campground north of Jackson, Wyoming, according to Petito’s parents’ attorney and his FBI.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE FOUND: Parents may have missed discovering body
“The days and events between the Moab incident and Gabby’s death seem far enough away from the rational behavior of the officers on the scene,” Bertolino said. Perhaps the City of Moab will resolve this issue, so good luck to the Petito family who are trying to recover their losses from another source.”
An external investigation into the Aug. 12 domestic violence case between Gabby Petite and Bryan Landry in Moab, Utah, found an “unintentional error” and many recommendations on how the department should move forward. was issued.
Moab has not provided Fox News Digital with any documentation, comment, or confirmation that it has followed any of these recommendations. A city spokesman declined to comment on Monday, citing policy regarding pending lawsuits.
The family alleges that Moab police officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins failed to properly handle the 911 call. Witnesses claimed to have seen Brian Landry beat Petite, steal her phone, and attempt to drive her off without her in the middle of downtown Moab. Court filings also show that former Moab Police Chief Brett Edge and former Deputy Chief Braden Palmer did not adequately prepare and train officers.
“We believe these officers were negligent and that negligence led to Gabby’s death,” Petit-Schmidt family attorney Brian Stewart told reporters Monday, adding: “They understand the law. Appropriately in Gabby’s situation we didn’t and we didn’t apply the law.”
Bertolino has long maintained that he did not believe the Moab officers were wrong.
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After the release of an independent investigator’s report on the incident on Jan. 12, he told Fox News Digital that he believed officers “did everything they could” and “did the right thing.”
“To cite any disagreement between a couple as a domestic violence case is to criminalize human emotions and reactions that should be addressed outside of criminal law,” he said. “In my opinion, the officers did the right thing by separating the two young men.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.