Jared Fogle Says 'Hateful' Parents Damaged Their Daughter, Not Him

Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle claims the parents of a girl he allegedly victimized are responsible for the girl's anguish, not Fogle himself.

The parents sued Fogle in March on behalf of the girl, identified only as Jane Doe. That suit alleges the head of Fogle's charitable foundation, Russell Taylor, secretly videotaped their daughter undressing and bathing through a hidden camera. The videos, the suit alleges, were passed to Fogle. The suit is seeking $150,000.

In response, Fogle has filed a complaint accusing the girl's divorced parents of being responsible for her suffering. The parents "maintained a hateful and abusive relationship toward each other,” according to the complaint, which was reported by multiple news outlets, including the Washington Post and the IndyStar.com.

It is unclear if the girl is part of Fogle's wide-ranging admissions last year that he possessed and distributed pornography involving children as young as 6 years old; traveled to top-flight hotels to have sex with minors; and paid them to recruit even younger girls for his pleasure.

Fogle is serving a nearly 16-year prison sentence and was ordered to pay each of his victims $100,000.

Fogle is seeking to add Jane Doe's parents to the lawsuit because they are only suing Fogle on behalf of their daughter and are not plaintiffs on the case. If they are not added, Fogle could file a separate lawsuit against them.

"Fogle has been provided with documented evidence which indicates that Jane Doe’s parents, through their actions, caused or significantly contributed to the injuries and damages alleged by Jane Doe in her complaint against the defendants," his complaint says.

Fogle became the likable face of the Milford-based Subway sandwich shops 15 years ago as an affable former fat kid who lost more than 200 pounds largely on a Subway-only diet. The company formally terminated its relationship as the child pornography allegations came to light.

Image via IlliniGradResearch, used under Creative Commons