Brian Laundrie's parents have 'no regrets' and truth of Gabby Petito's death may be revealed, family lawyer says | The Sun

THE Laundrie family attorney has insisted Brian's parents have "no regrets" and the truth of Gabby Petito's death may be revealed.

Steven Bertolino, the attorney for Brian's parents Chris and Roberta Laundrie, spoke to NewsNation’s "Banfield" Wednesday night after a judge heard arguments in the Petito-Laundrie lawsuit.

When NewsNation's Senior National Correspondent Brian Entin questioned Bertolino on whether he had any regrets regarding the legal advice given to his clients the attorney was certain he has done his job correctly.

Entin asked: "Because they haven't been in trouble so far … do you have any regrets? Do you think you should have had them talk to the media or perhaps seem a little more human?

"Even though you protected them legally, do you think you made any mistakes along the way since now they are, in many ways, it seems hated by the world?"

Commenting on the "very good question" Entin asked, Bertolino said: "You know, hated is one word, vilified is another … It's emotional for me, it's emotional for Chris and Roberta because we are friends, they did lose a child.

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"They lost a young man that I knew since he was born and yeah, that's upsetting."

He continued: "I did everything the right way. We have no regrets.

"The parents did everything the right way, and they have no regrets."

Bertolino was unwilling to speak on the Petito family's allegations of whether Chris and Roberta knew their daughter was killed and chose not to act.

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He explained: "What I knew, or what Chris and Roberta knew, we did not have to disclose, to any third party, and specifically to law enforcement, or the Petito family."

"I can tell you what I knew … perhaps, one day what Brian knew, but none of that’s gonna happen tonight on this show," he added.

Read our Petito lawsuit live blog for the latest news and updates…

The Petitos sued the family of their daughter's fiancé, Brian Laundrie – who authorities said claimed responsibility for Gabby's death in a suicide note – for withholding information while Gabby was missing.

The Laundries' lawyer filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and both sides presented their arguments in Sarasota County, Florida court on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.

In a short summary, the Laundrie family attorney, Matthew Luca, said in court that they had a right to remain silent while law enforcement looked for Gabby.

Their lone statement was released through another family attorney, Bertolino, who said he hoped Gabby was found and reunited with her family.

The Laundrie's silence and Bertolino's comment – while allegedly knowing Gabby was dead – provided false hope and invoked emotional distress, Petito's lawyer, Patrick Reilly, argued.

The presiding judge, Hunter Carroll, questioned both lawyers, but "appeared to be skeptical" of the Petito's side, Bennett Gershman told The Sun in an exclusive interview.

The longtime, well-respected law professor at New York's Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University has been following the case since the beginning and watched the hearing.

He said he believed the lawsuit was a "reach" all along, and "today's hearing confirmed that opinion."

Even if one assumes the Laundrie family knew what Brian did – which is what the judge has to do when determining if a case is dismissed or not – their actions are "arguably offensive and intolerable."

"It is not outrageous as the courts construe that term,  and is a far cry from the outrageous conduct shown in the other cited cases," Gershman said.

There's also a "substantial" first amendment issue that was argued and Gershman said he would be "very surprised" if the judge allowed the case to go to trial.

Judge Carroll will consider the arguments and said he'll come back with a decision in two weeks.

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Meanwhile, Gabby's family wore subtle – but powerful – messages in honor of their slain daughter as they walked into court on Wednesday.

Gabby's mom clutched her necklace locket that holds her daughter's ashes, and they all wore "Justice for Gabby" bracelets, which are meant to represent Gabby's life; not her death, her parents said.

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