In the latest in the Gabby Petito case, Steven Bertolino, the former attorney for the family of Brian Laundrie, has filed a response to the now third amended complaint in a lawsuit from the murder victim’s family.

According to the new filing, Bertolino claims that Gabby Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, had only briefly met Chris and Roberta Laundrie once, denying the families ever maintained a “cordial relationship.”

Bertolino also claimed the Laundries were receiving death threats due to this case.

The response goes on to claim that the Petito/Schmidts’ “severe emotional distress” alleged in the lawsuit was “preexisting,” so Bertolino can’t be blamed for it.

GABBY PETITO’S FAMILY PUSHES ATTORNEY TO REVEAL SECRET CHAT WITH BRIAN LAUNDRIE: COURT DOCS

Gabby Petito was reported missing in September 2021, roughly two weeks after her former fiancé, Brian Laundrie, is believed to have killed her and abandoned her body at a campsite in Wyoming. (@petitojoseph/Instagram )

Gabby’s family is suing the Laundries for emotional distress in relation to Gabby Petito’s death during a 2021 road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. In their civil suit, they claimed Bertolino’s statements on behalf of the Laundries caused them “mental suffering and anguish” at the time they were desperately searching for their daughter.

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Petito’s family has been involved in a legal battle against Laundrie’s parents for more than a year, alleging they knew that their son killed Petito.

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In November 2022, a Florida judge ruled in favor of Petito’s family in a wrongful death suit against Brian Laundrie’s estate, awarding $3 million to Petito’s mother.

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Gabby Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, right, is named in a complaint filed by attorney Steven Bertolino, who claimed that she had only briefly met the parents of Brian Laundrie, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, once, and that they maintained a “cordial relationship.” (Fox News Digital/File)

Gabby’s death was ruled a homicide after her remains were found inside a national forest in Wyoming. 

The FBI says Brian Laundrie wrote in a notebook he was responsible for Gabby’s death before taking his own life.