Gabby Petito's family awarded $3 million in wrongful death case against Brian Laundrie's estate

Gabby Petito's parents on Thursday were awarded a $3 million settlement after they filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the estate of her late fiance, Brian Laundrie, who allegedly killed her last year.

An attorney for Petito's family, Patrick J. Reilly, acknowledged that Laundrie did not have $3 million and told Forbes that the amount is an "arbitrary number."

Any money awarded to Petito’s parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, will go toward the Gabby Petito Foundation, which her family started in her honor to support groups that deal with domestic violence and missing persons cases.

The settlement will not impact another case Petito's parents filed in March against Laundrie's parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, Reilly said.

Petito's parents have also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Utah's Moab City Police Department, in connection with two officers having responded to a domestic violence incident between Petito and Brian shortly before she died.

Petito's family claims the Laundries knew their son had murdered Petito, whose body was found in Wyoming on Sept. 18, 2021. Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation. Laundrie's body was found about a month later and his death was ruled a suicide by gunshot.