- Gabby Petitos parents can sue Brian Laundrie's parents for emotional distress, a Florida judge ruled.
- The Petitos claim the Laundries made statements that gave them "false hope" while Gabby was missing.
- The ruling comes days after pages from Brian's notebook were revealed to include an apparent confession to Gabby's killing.
A Florida judge ruled that the parents of Gabby Petito — Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt — can sue the parents of Brian Laundrie for emotional distress, saying a statement the Laundries made during Gabby's disappearance was "outrageous" enough to permit a lawsuit.
In court documents, the judge outlined allegations against the Laundries and their son — including that Brian killed Gabby on August 27, 2021 and told his parents on August 28, 2021.
That day, the judge writes, the Laundries also contacted an attorney.
In a statement on September 14, 2021 the Laundries said they hope the search for Gabby is "successful" and she can be reunited with her parents. But the Petitos allege this statement was designed to "create false hope" and that the Laundries knew Gabby was dead when they made it.
Attorneys for the Laundries and Petitos did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
As the Petitos sent the Laundries messages begging for their compliance in locating their daughter, the family refused to give up any information.
The judge's ruling comes days after Fox News released pages from Brian's notebook that appear to include a confession that he was the one that killed Gabby.
"I ended her life," the notebook said. "I thought it was merciful, that it is what she wanted, but I see now all the mistakes I made. I panicked. I was in shock."
Brian and Gabby set out on a "van-life" road trip in fall 2021, which Gabby heavily documented on social media. On September 11, the public learned Gabby was missing.
Brian returned to his parents' house in Florida before he himself went missing on September 13 and was named a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance.
Gabby's body was found in the Bridger-Teton National Forest on September 19 and her cause of death was later ruled to be strangulation.
It wasn't until a month later, on October 21, that authorities confirmed they had found the remains of Brian in Florida's Carlton Reserve. Authorities say Brian Laundrie died by suicide.