Summary: The ex-wife of Jared Fogle sued Subway for allegedly neglecting to report his interest in children.
Jared Fogle’s ex-wife claims Subway knew about the former spokesman’s appetite for children since 2004. She is now suing the sandwich chain for neglect, according to Business Insider; and she said that she filed the lawsuit in order to hold Subway accountable.
Kathleen McLaughlin, Fogle’s ex-wife, said in her lawsuit that Subway was notified at least three times since 2004 that Fogle was sexually interested in children. She said that they ignored the complaints, did not notify authorities, and continued to use him as their spokesperson.
“Finding out that your husband and the father of your children is a child predator, and knowing that his job involved him visiting schools on a regular basis is devastating,” McLaughlin said to the press on Monday.
Last year, Subway’s former spokesperson, Fogle, was convicted of sex with minors and distributing child pornography. He is currently serving a sixteen-year prison sentence in Colorado. McLaughlin filed for divorce after he plead guilty to the charges.
According to the lawsuit, Subway’s then senior vice president was told in 2004 that Fogle had hit on a young girl at a Subway promotional event in Las Vegas. Afterwards, the senior VP allegedly sent someone to interview Fogle, not the girl, even though the company was legally required to report the possible abuse.
In 2008, Subway was allegedly told by a franchise that Fogle had made disturbing comments about dating children. The lawsuit said that the same person was sent to investigate but did nothing.
McLaughlin filed her lawsuit, not only to get answers from Subway, but because she said that it provided a child predator with a platform to meet victims. She is suing for neglect and emotional damages.
“Despite knowing of Jared’s sexual interest in children and the then-alleged sexual acts he committed with them, Subway continued to promote their star spokesman,” the lawsuit stated.
As a Subway spokesman, Fogle was sent around the country to elementary schools as part of a campaign called “Jared’s School Tour” as well as another campaign called “Tour de Pants.”
Subway declined to comment, stating that it could not remark on existing litigation.
Source: Business Insider