Brian Laundrie "was frantic" when he told his father that Gabby Petito was "gone" on Aug. 29, 2021, and he needed a lawyer, according to recently filed court documents.

Petito's family filed an amended complaint in the ongoing civil case against the Laundrie family and their lawyer, Steve Bertolino, compelling Bertolino to say what Brian told him on Aug. 29, 2021.

For context, Gabby was killed on Aug. 27, 2021, and her body was found on Sept. 19, 2021. 

Her family has argued in court filings that Bertolino and Brian's family knew Brian killed Gabby and kept it a secret as part of an alleged conspiracy to help Brian evade justice while inflicting emotional distress on the Petitos.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: BRIAN LAUNDRIE'S MOM DRIVE TO GABBY PETITO DEPOSITION IN KILLER SON'S MUSTANG

The amended complaint was filed in Sarasota County, Florida, court on Oct. 26, a week after the Laundries' lawyers proposed a settlement.

Details of the proposed settlement are confidential, the Petitos' lawyer Pat Reilly told Fox News Digital in an email, and were never released. 

GABBY PETITO TIMELINE

But Gabby's family rejected the proposal and filed court documents to compel Bertolino to tell the court what Brian told him. 

Bertolino and his defense team have argued that conversation is protected by attorney-client privilege, which Petito's lawyers addressed in the Oct. 26 court filing. 

"Because Brian Laundrie confessed to the murder of Gabrielle Petito, the conversation he had with Steven Bertolino about such murder is no longer protected by attorney-client privilege as it has been waived by the client," the filing says. 

This is in reference to Brian's suicide note, which was found in his backpack next to his body. It was included as an exhibit in the court filing 

GABBY PETITO CASE: BRIAN LAUNDRIE'S MOTHER PROMISED SON SHOVEL, GARBAGE BAG, JAILHOUSE CAKE IN LOVE LETTER

Even if Brian didn't waive attorney-client privilege, it's intended to protect to the client. "The lawyer may not assert the privilege on his behalf," the Petitos' lawyers argued.

"In this matter, Steven Bertolino was not asserting the attorney-client privilege on behalf of Brian Laundrie, who had already waived that privilege, but rather he is asserting it on his own behalf to keep himself from testifying about what he knew," the filing says.

Bertolino told Fox News Digital that they will be opposing the "groundless motion to compel."

His lawyers didn't respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The crux of the civil case takes aim at Bertolino's comment on Sept. 14, 2021, when he told news outlets it was the "hope" of the Laundrie family "that the search for Miss Petito is successful and that Miss Petito is reunited with her family."

The lawsuit alleges Bertolino and Brian's family knew at that point that Gabby was dead, and "under those circumstances, the statement was insensitive, cold-hearted and outrageous."

GABBY PETITO AND BRIAN LAUNDRIE: BOMBSHELL VIDEO EMERGES REVEALING HOURS BEFORE MURDER

Gabby's death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation. 

On Oct. 20, 2021, investigators discovered Laundrie’s remains in a swampy environmental park nearby. In a dry bag also recovered at the scene, the FBI said Laundrie confessed to Petito’s murder in writing.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS 

"I ended her life," handwritten note says. "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."

He framed it as a mercy killing, writing that she injured herself in a fall near the campsite. He also wrote: "From the moment I decided, took away her pain, I knew I couldn't go on without her."

Petito's parents have since launched the Gabby Petito Foundation to advocate for domestic violence awareness and missing persons cases.

If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 (SAFE).

Serbia and Kosovo’s ambitions to join the European Union could be in serious jeopardy if the two historic rivals refuse to normalize relations.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a stern warning on a visit to the region to promote the EU’s 6 billion Euros (approximately $6.3 billion) economic plan for the Western Balkans, as part of the plan to integrate the troubled region into the EU.

Von der Leyen said Serbia must de facto recognize Kosovo as an independent nation, and Kosovo must allow for autonomy for ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, where they form a majority. This would effectively fulfill Serbia and Kosovo’s previous commitments negotiated earlier this year, but there is little sign that either side is actually intent on following through.

HISTORIC RUSSIAN ALLY SNUBS PUTIN IN GROWING SHIFT TO EUROPEAN UNION

"Statements from such a high political representative carry weight, however, we are yet to see if they will actually make a difference," Helena Ivanov, associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

"So far, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has been very clear that the Association of Serb Municipalities isn’t really on the table, and Serbia was clear that U.N. membership for Kosovo is a red line. How exactly the EU plans to pressure the two sides to go over their respective lines remains unclear," Ivanov added.

While 92% of Kosovo is ethnic Albanian, Serbs in the north are a majority and remain loyal to Belgrade and refuse to accept Kosovo’s 2008 unilateral declaration of independence. Creating an Association of Serb Municipalities, a commitment Kosovo made in 2013 as part of the Brussels Agreement, was designed with a purpose of giving significant degree of self-governance for the Serb community in Kosovo. However, its creation has been delayed since Prime Minister Kurti assumed power and began highlighting the fears that creating such an autonomous entity would essentially give birth to a state within a state in Kosovo where Belgrade could exercise undue influence over the Serb community.

LONGTIME FOES SERBIA AND KOSOVO NEARING NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS

Talks between the two countries have been tense since Kosovo alleged that Serbia's president knew about a premeditated attack that saw 30 armed gunmen open fire on police in an ethnically Serb-dominated village in northern Kosovo, and then storm an Orthodox monastery.

The latest round of violence is another step back for the peace process. The leaders of France, Germany and Italy met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kurti last week in Brussels and urged the two countries to deescalate tensions and restart the normalization talks. The talks were cut short, and both sides blamed each other for the setbacks.

Both Serbia and Kosovo are EU aspirants, and ending the feud is a core requirement for gaining membership. Failure to honor their obligations or ratcheting up tensions will have negative consequences for their EU accession processes and block any potential EU financial aid. A diplomatic source with expert knowledge of the region says what Vucic needs from the EU are the perks of being a candidate member-visa free regime and access to these EU development funds, and he currently has both. Vucic wants the EU integration process to be as slow as possible and never fully resolve itself. 

TENSIONS RISE AMID CLAIMS OF RUSSIA, SERBIA INTERFERENCE IN KOSOVO FOLLOWING RECENT BLOODSHED

Serbia and Kosovo are heavily reliant upon EU financial assistance and overall trade with EU nations. The EU represents the number one trading partner and is the biggest donor to Serbia, providing over 3 billion Euros (approximately $3.1 billion) in aid over the last 10 years. Direct financial aid from the EU to Kosovo is more than 1.3 billion Euros (approximately $1.3billion.)

Serbia officially applied for EU membership in 2009, and the ongoing dispute with Kosovo and the recent bloodshed that implicates Belgrade is the biggest obstacle to EU membership. Kosovo formally applied for EU membership in 2022.

Conflict between Serbia and Kosovo following the 1999 war is unresolved and is a roadblock to their further European integration. Kosovo was a former province of Serbia and was once integrated within the nation of Yugoslavia. NATO led a bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999, which comprised Serbia and Montenegro, to defend Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians against violence from Belgrade. Nearly a decade later, in 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, but Serbia refuses to recognize their independence.