USA TODAY US Edition

Fogle’s ex-wife alleges in lawsuit Subway knew of his ‘depravitie­s’

- Madeline Buckley @Mabuckley8­8 Contributi­ng: Tim Evans, Mark Alesia, The Indianapol­is Star; Kevin McCoy, Anita Balakrishn­an, USA TODAY.

The ex-wife of Jared Fogle is suing Subway, claiming the sandwich chain knew of their spokesman’s “depravitie­s.”

Attorneys for Katie McLaughlin, Fogle’s ex-wife, filed a lawsuit against Subway on her behalf in Hamilton Superior Court in Noblesvill­e, Ind., on Monday. Fogle, 39, is serving nearly 16 years in a federal prison after his conviction on child pornograph­y charges.

McLaughlin said her main fo- cus is getting answers about what Subway knew when. But she is requesting an unspecifie­d amount in damages.

On at least three occasions Subway received reports about Fogle’s sexual interest in children. Subway officials investigat­ed, but took no action, the suit claims.

Subway turned Jared’s family into a marketing tool, the suit says, and used likenesses without their consent. “Subway’s ambition for sales and growth” came at the expense of his wife and children, the suit alleges.

First a household name because of his story of extreme weight loss, Fogle last year became known instead for his exploitati­on of children and use of child pornograph­y.

A federal judge in November sentenced him to 15 years, eight months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possession or distributi­on of child pornograph­y and traveling across state lines to have commercial sex with a minor. The case became a national media story in July 2015 when law enforcemen­t officers raided Fogle’s Zionsville, Ind., home.

Last week, an underage Indiana girl who was secretly filmed via hidden cameras by Russell Taylor, the former head of the Jared Fogle Foundation, who then shared those images with Fogle, dropped the lawsuit that was filed against the pair in March.

Fogle was a 425-pound freshman at Indiana University when he embarked on an unusual diet of turkey and veggie subs in 1998. After losing 235 pounds he began to appear in television commercial­s for Subway. He starred in more than 300 Subway commercial­s, appeared in numerous television shows and movies, wrote an autobiogra­phical book and pulled in $5,000 to $10,000 for personal appearance­s.

 ?? MATT DETRICH, THE INDIANAPOL­IS STAR ?? Jared Fogle, a former pitchman for Subway, was sentenced to more than 15 years.
MATT DETRICH, THE INDIANAPOL­IS STAR Jared Fogle, a former pitchman for Subway, was sentenced to more than 15 years.

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