Subway Knew 'Jared' Was A Pedophile And Did Nothing: Ex-Wife

Subway knew about Jared Fogle's sexual attraction to children and still sent him on speaking engagements to elementary schools across the country as the company's brand exploded in popularity because of its "cash cow" Fogle, according to a complaint filed Monday.

The claims were made by the disgraced former spokesman's ex-wife, Kathleen McLaughlin, who said the Milford-based sandwich chain withheld this information even from her. Subway executives thought she would keep Fogle "grounded" as they dated and later got married, she alleges.

“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 at a tearful press conference Monday.

“Finding out that Subway did not act upon at least one complaint while continuing to utilize Jared as their spokesperson and facilitate his visits to those hundreds of schools is beyond comprehension."

In the complaint, filed in an Indiana state court, McLaughlin alleges five counts against Subway, including intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and invasion of privacy. She asks for unspecified monetary damages.

When reached for comment by Patch, a Subway spokesperson provided only the following statement: “As this is pending legal action, we cannot provide comment.”

Last November, Fogle was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison after he admitted to distributing child pornography and paying older prostitutes to recruit underage girls for sex.

McLaughlin's complaint alleges Subway received at least three reports of Fogle's "sexual interest in children." On two of those occasions, the suit states, Subway sent a public relations employee to confront Fogle, and the third time Subway admitted the report was "not properly escalated or acted upon."

Subway never contacted law enforcement about the allegations, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of McLaughlin by attorneys from Church, Church, Hittle + Antrim.

“The safety of kids was not a priority but Subway’s bottom line was,” the complaint states. “To drive sales, Subway ignored its corporate responsibility and provided a platform for him to prey on children by sending him to elementary schools all over the country.”

Fogle rocketed to fame in the early 2000s after he lost hundreds of pounds on a diet of only Subway sandwiches. When the company pulled Fogle back from its advertising in 2005, according to the complaint, sales dropped 10 percent. During his tenure as company spokesman, sales went from $3.1 billion to $11.5 billion, according to the lawsuit.

The company formally terminated its relationship as the child pornography allegations came to light.

But Subway knew of his depravities long before then, McLaughlin claims.

The first time was "as early as 2004" when Fogle "approached a young girl at a promotional event for a Las Vegas Subway franchise for a sex act," the lawsuit states. Rather than alert the authorities, the complaint says, Subway instead sent a "senior public relations manager," who was not named, to confront Fogle.

Then in 2008, according to the complaint, Florida franchisee Cindy Mills told then-CEO Jeff Moody about a disturbing phone call she had with Fogle in which Fogle said he "really liked them young" and that he had had sex with minors as young as 9 years old.

According to the complaint, Moody, the CEO, told Mills, "Please don't tell me any more. Don't worry, he has met someone. She is a teacher and he seems to love her very much, and we think she will keep him grounded."

"The teacher" was McLaughlin, whom Fogle would eventually marry. Again, Subway only sent a "senior public relations manager" to confront Fogle, the lawsuit claims.

“Having neither expert knowledge of pedophiles’ predatory compulsions nor seeking guidance from experts, Subway made a terribly misguided assumption that Jared’s marrying Katie would correct Jared’s pedophilia behavior," the suit states.

Finally, in 2011, a Florida reporter submitted a complaint through Subway's website saying Fogle told her "about his desire to perform illegal sexual acts with children." Subway again, McLaughlin says, did nothing.

Read the complaint in full below:

Image via IlliniGradResearch, used under Creative Commons