Beyond The Horizon

ICYMI: The Christopher Laundrie Deposition (Part 1)

In this episode we are taking a look at the recent deposition that Christopher Laundrie, the father of Brian Laundrie, gave as part of the legal proceedings against him and his wife, Roberta.

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source:

Gabby Petito lawsuit: Read the parents' depositions here | Fox News

Duration:: 17m
Broadcast on:: 04 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

What's up everyone, and welcome back to the program. In this episode, we're going to start taking a look at the deposition of Brian Laundrie's father, Christopher Laundrie, who is being deposed as part of the lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito's family against the Laundrie's. So let's get right to it. Christopher Laundrie was adduced as the opponent here in, and being personally known to the notary was then duly sworn on oath, and was questioned and stated as follows. The direct examination by Mr. Riley. And as far as format, whenever I say question, that means that the question is being asked by the lawyer. And when I say answer, that's the response of Christopher Laundrie. So let's get busy. Question. Good morning, Mr. Laundrie. Answer. Good morning. I know you've had your deposition taken before, but I'll give you some instructions anyway. I'm sure your attorney has gone over them with you. Please be certain that you hear my question. If you don't hear it, let me know, and I'll repeat it. Please be certain that you understand it. If you don't understand it, please tell me, and I'll rephrase it. But if you answer the question, it's presumed you both heard it, and understood the question before you answered it. All right? Answer. Yes. Please be certain that you let me finish my question before you start answering. Oftentimes, you can anticipate what the question is going to be. But please let me finish because the court reporter can't take down two of us talking at one time. Answer. Okay. Question. And please answer orally as opposed to nodding your head or shaking your head or saying, uh-huh. Or, uh-uh. If you say, uh-huh, or uh-uh, I'm going to ask you if that is a yes or a no. I'm not being disrespectful. I just need to have a clean record. All right. Answer. Sure. Question. Is there any reason you're aware of that you would not be able to sit here today and hear and understand my questions and answer them? Answer. No. Question. Okay. State your name for the record, please. Answer. Christopher Laundry. Question. Mr. Laundry. What, if anything, did you review to prepare for your deposition today? Answer. Get over my written ones and interrogatories and we all spoke, you know, but nothing much to prepare. Question. Okay. Other than your attorney and your wife, did you speak with anyone else about your deposition? Answer. No. Question. You said we all spoke together. Who else did you speak with? Answer. I mean, Steve Bertolino and, oh, shoot to this. Another gentleman speaks up and that's Ryan Gilbert. Mr. Laundry, Ryan Gilbert, I spoke to both of them, Ryan Gilbert. Question by Mr. O'Reilly. Okay. No one else. Answer. No. Question. What is your address? Answer. Redacted. Northport, Florida. Question. How long have you resided there? Answer on and off, but mainly a couple of years now. Question. With whom do you reside at that address? Answer. Roberta, my wife. Question. Has anyone else ever lived at that address with you? Answer. Yes. Question. Who? Answer. Ryan and Gabby. Question. And we'll get to the period of time that they live with you. Have you ever been known by any other names other than Christopher Laundry? Answer. No. Question. What's your date of birth? Answer. Redacted. 1958. Question. And your current age. Answer. 64. Question. You're a married to Roberta Laundry. Correct? Answer. Yes. Question. Yes. Question. Is it her first marriage? Answer. Yes. Question. Do you recall the date of your marriage? Answer. It was July 14th. Question of. Answer. I'm not sure the date of the year. Question. Okay. And did you and your wife have children? Answer. Yes. Question. And their names, please. Answer. Brian and Cassandra. Question. What was Brian's date of birth? Answer. Redacted. 1999. And what was Cassandra's date of birth? Redacted. 1989. Question. What is your current telephone number? Answer. Redacted. 1787. Question. In the last five years. Have you had any other telephone numbers? Answer. No. Question. Do you recognize the number? Redacted. 9308. Answer. That's a business address. Phone number a while back. I think. Yeah. Question. Okay. For what business? Answer. Question. How about redacted. 1783. Answer. That's not familiar to me. I don't remember that phone number. Question. Do you have your service with singular wireless? Answer. No. Question. Who is it with? Answer. AT&T. Question. How about redacted. 3557. Answer. I'm not familiar with that number either. Question. What's your wife's phone number? Answer. I don't know it actually. That's on my phone. Question. Okay. Question. Answer. I don't know his phone numbers. They're always in the phone. I never really remember them. No. Question. Prior to the current address. Where have you lived? Answer. How long ago were we talking about here? Question. Where did you live immediately prior to the time you lived at your current address? Answer. It was Medford Long Island. Question. Do you know what the address was? Answer. No. It was a couple years ago. Question. Do you recognize the address of redacted? In Venice. Answer. Yes. Question. What was that property? Answer. That was a rental property that I had. Question. Do you still own that property? Answer. No. Question. When did you sell that property? Answer. Oh, a few years ago. A little over two years ago. Question. Did you ever live there? Answer. No. Question. Did any of your family members ever live there? Answer. Yes. Question. Who lived there? Answer. Brian. Question. Answer. Oh, well, it was about almost a full year that he lived there. Question. But do you know when? Answer. It was, I believe it was 21. You know, that year. We came down to two years before, so I'm not really sure. But it was, it was a year before we came to live in the house two years ago. Question. And do you? All right. So in 2021, you came to live in the house in Northport? Answer. Yes. Question. In 2021, how long have you been living there? Answer since December of that year. Question 21 or 20. Answer. I'm not really sure. I know, I think I moved down here two and a half years ago, approximately. Question. Well, prior to prior to the time of the incident that brings us here for this cause of action, how long had you lived at that address? Answer. How long did I live there? Question. Prior to that. Yes. Answer. There may be four or five months. Question. Okay. You had mentioned December earlier. Did you move there in December? Answer. Yeah. Question. So it would have been December of 20 answer. That's a possibility. Um, yeah, I was, it was that time period there that we were maybe two years ago. I don't know the exact date I moved down there. Question. Okay. Have you ever lived going back to the redacted property? Did anyone live out that property with Brian? Answer. Question. Who? Answer. Gabrielle. Question. Have you ever owned property at redacted in Northport? Answer. That's the one we're speaking of. Question. No. Answer. I'm sorry. I misunderstood the first time. Question. The property that I was speaking of was you told me about redacted. I then asked you about redacted in Venice. Answer that I never lived in. That was a long time ago. That was prior. I gave you that was a mistake. I thought you were talking about links men at the time. Question. Okay. Did any of your family members ever live at redacted? Answer. No. Question. So when you told me that Brian and Gabby lived at the property, was it at redacted? Answer. Yes. Question. In Northport. Answer. That's the property. Yes. Question. When did you sell that property? Answer. January of that year. Question. How about redacted in Seville, New York? Did you ever own that property? Answer. Oh, no. redacted. Question. Yes. Answer. No. That was the UPS address. Question. Okay. Answer. That was my business shipping address. Question. So it was a mailbox address. Answer. Yeah. The UPS. Question. Okay. How about redacted and redacted in Venice? Answer. No. That was a rental property. Question. Did you or any of your family members ever live there? Answer. No. Question. Do you still own that property? Question. Did you ever own redacted in Bayport, New York? Answer. Yes. Question. And that was your residence? Answer. That was my residence. Question. How long did you live there? Answer. About 10 years. Question. Which was the property that you moved strike that? The property that you lived in immediately prior to the time that you moved to Northport? Which property was that? Answer the Medford. Question. Okay. Are you familiar with redacted and redacted in Venice? Answer. Yes. Answer. We live there for a year. Question. Okay. What's your educational background? Answer. I graduated high school. Question. What year? Answer. I don't know what year it was. 70. I guess 70. Question. Well, you're younger than me. And I graduated in 73. Answer. Then in the 70s. Yes. 73. There you go. It had to be at the same time. Question. Okay. Well, but how old did you say you are? Answer. Question. Okay. I'm 67. So you couldn't have graduated in 73. Answer. I really don't know when I graduated. Actually, I didn't graduate. I got a GED. I left. I was 16 years old, 17 years old. So question. Okay. What school did you get your GED from? Answer. I didn't go to school. You read and you take it at a place. Question. Okay. Answer. I don't know. I don't remember that. Question. Are you currently employed? Answer. I have my own business. Question. Before I go to that, let me take a step back. After getting your GED, did you have any other formal education? Answer. No. Question. You said you have your own business. Answer. Yes. Question. What business? Answer. I repair and sell juice equipment that makes fresh juices. Question. Where do you do that? Answer. Out of my house. Question. Do you have a company name? Answer. Question. Juicer services? Is juicer plural or singular? Answer. Plural. Question. So it's juicers. Answer. Juicer services. Question. Just juicer services? Is that a Florida LLC or some other type of incorporation? Answer. It's not an LLC. It's a question. Is it an incorporated? Answer. It's not an incorporated. It's one in between there. Question. Okay. Answer. Do you have any employees? Answer. No. Question. Are you the only person who works for that company? Answer. Roberta helps. Her name is on the company. Question. How long have you been doing that? Answer all my life. I've owned the same business. Question. Did juicer services exist before you moved to Florida? Answer. Yes. Question. Same name. Answer. Yes. Question. And did you operate New York? Answer. Yes. Question. And is that what you've done your whole life? What's CNR specialty services? Answer. It's the same business. But I changed it over and sold it at a point and then turned it into juicer services. Question. Okay. So you sold your existing company that repaired juicer machines? Answer. Yes. Question. And then you started it another one. Answer. Yes. Question. What's juice fountain incorporated? Answer. It was just a little juice bar that I had set up. Question. Where was that? Answer. Go farm in New York? Question. Cherry Grove? Answer. Cherry Grove. It's on Fire Island in Long Island, New York. Question. Have you ever owned or operated a juice establishment in Florida? Answer. No. Question. How do you know Mr. Bertolino? Answer. We were neighbors for a long time. Question. Where? Answer in Bayport, New York? Question. When you say a long time, how long? Answer. Oh. At least 25 years, I guess. Question. What neighbors? Answer three doors down. Question. Okay. Can you describe the relationship that you've had with Mr. Bertolino? Answer. We were friends. Yeah. And cross paths. Quite a bit. Question. Have you ever been in any kind of business relationship with him? Answer. Well, I made investments. He made, you know, I own real estate with him. Question. What kind of investments? Answer. Just property. And I build and sell. That's about it. Answer. You know, I don't know how he operates his business, but you make investments and properties and fix them up and resell them. Question. And was there an established percentage that you had an ownership interest in? Answer. I had no ownership interest. Question. Well, then what was the business relationship you had with him? Answer. He gave him money and he invested in properties and I get a, I guess you would call it a percent. Yeah. Question. Okay. Was your name on the deed for the real estate that you invested in? Answer. Yeah. Question. Okay. And do you recall what percentage interest did you have? Answer. It was more it varied on what was being purchased from what I remember. And that's, that's where the percentage comes from. What was the other part of that question? Question. You answered it. Has he ever represented you as an attorney prior to 2021? Answer. Well, mainly when I bought and sold property in New York, he was yes. Question. Okay. So if you were involved in a real estate transaction, he would represent you. Answer. Yeah. He took all of my matters. My will, you know, things like that. He did. Question. What kind of practice do you understand attorney Bertolino to have when he was representing you? Answer. I really don't know. I know he was a well rounded in most categories as an attorney would be question. Had you ever been to his office? Answer. Yes. Question. Okay. Have you ever had him on a retainer? Answer. No, I don't think so. No. Question. Did you ever sign a fee agreement with him? Answer. Well, to be honest, I signed whatever he asked me, whatever he put in front of me. I'd look it over, but I don't know what the agreement was. Question. Do you know what a fee agreement is? Answer. Question. A fee agreement establishes a relationship between you and your attorney that sets forth the terms of that relationship, the hourly fee, or the flat fee. Do you ever recall signing anything like that? Answer. I don't know. I signed a lot of things in my time, but I don't remember. No. Question. In 2021, did you sign a fee agreement with Mr. Bertolino? Answer. I would guess and say yes, but I don't know. To this, Mr. Gilbert, the lawyer, interjects. Let me interject. We're getting close to a line and I want to make sure that everyone understands that Mr. Laundrie has waived attorney client privilege specifically and only with respect to communications with Mr. Bertolino from August 27, 2021 to October 31, 2021, as relates to the representation of Brian Laundrie. Mr. Riley, you said he's waving it? Mr. Gilbert, correct. And what's the time period? Mr. Gilbert, August 27, 2021 through October 31, 2021. Mr. Riley, tell me again the scope of the waiver. Mr. Gilbert, with respect to the representation of his son, Brian Laundrie. Mr. Meltz. Well, I think he's waving. Correct me if I'm wrong. I believe the privilege is between Chris and Roberta and Steve. Mr. Gilbert. Right. Mr. Meltz is waived, but Brian's privilege with Mr. Bertolino. Mr. Gilbert. Yes. That's not waived. Gilbert. That's a good point. Mr. Meltz, I just want to make sure there's a distinction in how you described it. Mr. Gilbert. Yes. That's correct. That's Mr. Laundrie and Ms. Laundrie. All right, folks, we're going to wrap up part one here and in the next episode talking about this topic will pick up with part two. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.