INDIANAPOLIS — 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.
"I filed this lawsuit because I have questions," said McLaughlin.
McLaughlin said her main focus in getting answers about what Subway knew when. But she is requesting an unspecified amount of damages.
PHOTOS: Jared Fogle through the years
Jared Fogle through the years
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.
As early as 2004, Subway's senior vice president of marketing was told that Fogle approached a young girl for a sex act at a Las Vegas Subway event. Subway sent a public relations manger to ask Fogle and a franchisee about the incident. Subway did not contact the girl and did nothing more, 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 and 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.
Fogle's ex-wife Katie McLaughlin here to talk about Subway lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/z017AJf10Q
— Madeline Buckley (@Mabuckley88) October 24, 2016
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.
After law enforcement officials raided Fogle's home, Subway said it and Fogle were "suspending their relationship" because of the probe. Earlier in the day the company said it was "shocked" over the news. By the end of July 7, 2015, it had pulled a page on Fogle from its website. When reports surfaced about Fogle's plea deal in August 2015, the sandwich chain sent out a tweet saying "We no longer have a relationship with Jared and have no further comment."
Fogle's rise as a sandwich spokesman turned the Hoosier into a celebrity. He 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.
Contributing: Tim Evans and Mark Alesia, The Indianapolis Star; Kevin McCoy, Anita Balakrishnan, USA TODAY. Follow Madeline Buckley on Twitter:@Mabuckley88
