Gabby Petito's Parents File Lawsuit Against Cops Who Responded to Domestic Violence Call
- 2 years ago
The parents of Gabby Petito have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department that responded to a domestic violence call, but failed to intervene and potentially save her life.
‘The purpose of this lawsuit is to honor Gabby’s legacy by demanding accountability and working toward systemic changes,’ stated James W McConkie, attorney for Petito’s parents Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt.
‘There are laws put in place to protect victims,’ Schmidt said. ‘And those laws were not followed. And we don’t want this to happen to anybody else.’
The plaintiffs are seeking $50,000,000 from the city of Moab, Utah due to negligence from police officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins.
On August 12, 2021, two witnesses stated that they saw Brian Laundrie hit Gabby Petito in the face outside of a coffee shop where she was working on her social media business.
One witness saw Laundrie slap Petito, then get in his car and drive off. A second witness said they saw Laundrie punch Petito in the face, hard enough for her to fall against the side of the couples’ van.
Petito had documented the incident by taking a photo of herself, which showed blood across her nose and left eye.
The lawsuit alleges that Pratt and Robbins began their negligence before they even encountered the fighting couple. It states that Pratt failed to turn on his body camera when interviewing witnesses at the coffee shop, and neither officer bothered to locate and speak to the first 911 caller.
The officers eventually caught up with the van, pulled Laundrie over, and separated the couple while they interviewed them about the scene at the coffee shop.
The suit claims that the officers could have cited Laundrie on the spot for domestic violence based on two witness testimonies and Gabby’s documented cuts on her face.
However, they instead ‘“coached Gabby to provide answers that the officers used to justify their decision not to enforce Utah law,’ the suit alleges.
It also cites an independent review of the incident conducted by an outside police department’s captain, which recommended the officers be placed on probation for ‘misinterpreting and misapplying Utah law and failing to properly investigate.’
Additionally, the lawsuit also states that one of the officers, Pratt, has been credibly accused of domestic violence and abuse of police power while he served as Chief of Police in Salina, Utah – just before he started working at Moab.
According to the lawsuit, one witness said Pratt threatened to kill her if she exposed his misconduct, saying ‘if any of this gets out, I will kill you with a crowbar.’
‘As a domestic abuser himself, who has used authority and threats of physical violence to control and intimidate sexual partners, it becomes clear why Officer Pratt was fundamentally biased in his approach to the investigation, identifying with Gabby’s abuser,’ the lawsuit states.
‘The purpose of this lawsuit is to honor Gabby’s legacy by demanding accountability and working toward systemic changes,’ stated James W McConkie, attorney for Petito’s parents Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt.
‘There are laws put in place to protect victims,’ Schmidt said. ‘And those laws were not followed. And we don’t want this to happen to anybody else.’
The plaintiffs are seeking $50,000,000 from the city of Moab, Utah due to negligence from police officers Eric Pratt and Daniel Robbins.
On August 12, 2021, two witnesses stated that they saw Brian Laundrie hit Gabby Petito in the face outside of a coffee shop where she was working on her social media business.
One witness saw Laundrie slap Petito, then get in his car and drive off. A second witness said they saw Laundrie punch Petito in the face, hard enough for her to fall against the side of the couples’ van.
Petito had documented the incident by taking a photo of herself, which showed blood across her nose and left eye.
The lawsuit alleges that Pratt and Robbins began their negligence before they even encountered the fighting couple. It states that Pratt failed to turn on his body camera when interviewing witnesses at the coffee shop, and neither officer bothered to locate and speak to the first 911 caller.
The officers eventually caught up with the van, pulled Laundrie over, and separated the couple while they interviewed them about the scene at the coffee shop.
The suit claims that the officers could have cited Laundrie on the spot for domestic violence based on two witness testimonies and Gabby’s documented cuts on her face.
However, they instead ‘“coached Gabby to provide answers that the officers used to justify their decision not to enforce Utah law,’ the suit alleges.
It also cites an independent review of the incident conducted by an outside police department’s captain, which recommended the officers be placed on probation for ‘misinterpreting and misapplying Utah law and failing to properly investigate.’
Additionally, the lawsuit also states that one of the officers, Pratt, has been credibly accused of domestic violence and abuse of police power while he served as Chief of Police in Salina, Utah – just before he started working at Moab.
According to the lawsuit, one witness said Pratt threatened to kill her if she exposed his misconduct, saying ‘if any of this gets out, I will kill you with a crowbar.’
‘As a domestic abuser himself, who has used authority and threats of physical violence to control and intimidate sexual partners, it becomes clear why Officer Pratt was fundamentally biased in his approach to the investigation, identifying with Gabby’s abuser,’ the lawsuit states.