Moab, Utah - The family of Gabby Petito officially filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Moab City Police Department on Thursday morning.

Per WFLA, Petito's parents Nichole Schmidt and Joseph Petito allege in the suit that police "failures and negligence" directly contributed to the 22-year-old's death.

The family first gave notice of their intent to sue back in August. They are seeking $50 million in damages.

The lawsuit points to an incident that occurred on August 12, 2021. Law enforcement was called about a potential case of domestic violence after a witness reported seeing Brian Laundrie hit Petito.

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Petito's parents argue that the officers did not follow Utah law and incorrectly identified Petito as the aggressor in the situation. Instead of pursuing a proper investigation, cops just separated the couple for the night and made no arrests. Laundrie murdered Petito roughly two weeks later.

Per CNN, James W. McConkie, an attorney for the Petito family, said that the intention of the wrongful death suit "is to honor Gabby's legacy by demanding accountability and working towards systemic changes to protect victims of domestic abuse and violence and prevent such tragedies in the future."

The Petito family's attorneys claim in the lawsuit that Eric Pratt, one of the Moab police officers involved in the domestic violence call, was "fundamentally biased" against Petito, per The Salt Lake Tribune.

The claim stems from disturbing new allegations against Pratt from a woman who says that he threatened to kill her after their romantic relationship ended.

"If the officer responding to Gabby's situation is an abuser himself who would threaten a girlfriend's life, it makes sense why he believed Gabby's abuser and ignored her injuries," Petito's mother said, as cited by Fox News. "With him in charge, I don’t think Gabby stood a chance."

In response to the lawsuit, the city of Moab has denied any blame in Petito's death.