SALT LAKE CITY, Fla. — Family members of Gabby Petito filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab Police Department on Thursday in the latest development in the high-profile case around Petito's death.
Back in August, Petito's family notified Utah officials of plans to file a wrongful death lawsuitalleging that police failed to recognize their daughter was in a life-threatening situation last year when officers investigated a fight between her and her boyfriend. The fight happened weeks before authorities said the boyfriend killed her while the couple was on a cross-country van trip.
The notice of claim contended that police in the tourist town of Moab missed signs that Petito was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of Brian Laundrie on Aug. 12, 2021. The officers ultimately allowed the couple to leave after requiring them to spend a night apart.
Notices of claims are required before people can sue government entities and the family's claim said that the lawsuit will seek $50 million in damages.
Petito was found dead in Wyoming weeks after rural Utah police officers responded to a domestic violence call and didn't cite or arrest either her or her boyfriend. Her family is seeking $50 million in damages from Moab, arguing officers' negligence abrogated their duty, violated Utah law, and led to her tragic death.
The city defended the officers' conduct in response to the lawsuit, saying they were kind and respectful and couldn't have predicted the subsequent tragedy. The city sent the following statement about the lawsuit.
The death of Gabrielle Petito in Wyoming is a terrible tragedy, and we feel profound sympathy for the Petito and Schmidt families and the painful loss they have endured. At the same time, it is clear that Moab City Police Department officers are not responsible for Gabrielle Petito’s eventual murder.
Ms. Petito is believed to have died in Wyoming in late August 2021, more than two weeks after she and Brian Laundrie visited Moab and interacted with Moab City Police. At that time, our officers acted with kindness, respect, and empathy toward Ms. Petito.
The attorneys for the Petito family seem to suggest that somehow our officers could see into the future based on this single interaction. In truth, on Aug. 12, no one could have predicted the tragedy that would occur weeks later and hundreds of miles away, and the City of Moab will ardently defend against this lawsuit.
