This article originally appeared on Huffington Post by Ed Mazza on September 2nd, 2016.
Former Subway pitchman and convicted pedophile Jared Fogle is casting blame on the parents of one of his victims in a new court filing.
“The Subway Guy” is serving a 15-and-a-half-year prison term after pleading guilty to charges of child pornography and traveling out of state to pay for sex with minors.
The unnamed victim filed a lawsuit against Fogle and Russell Taylor, the former head of Fogle’s charity who is now in prison for child porn, as well as Taylor’s wife, Angela. The victim is seeking $150,000 from Fogle, and $150,000 from the Taylors for emotional distress.
The lawsuit, filed by her parents, alleged that the girl was secretly videotaped in Taylors’ home while changing, showering and bathing, per the New York Daily News, and that Taylor shared the images with Fogle.
In a legal motion filed by his attorney, Fogle claimed the victim’s parents should also be named as defendants. According to the Indianapolis Star, the motion stated:
“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.”
The motion also claimed that the parents, who are divorced, “maintained a hateful and abusive relationship toward each other,” leaving the girl psychologically and emotionally damaged before the recordings were made, NBC News reported.
Fogle, 39, shot to prominence in 1999 after losing 245 pounds on a diet that consisted largely of Subway sandwiches. He became the company’s pitchman the following year.
Subway fired Fogle in 2015 when the child sex abuse accusations came to light.
Fogle will be eligible for parole in 2029. He must also pay $1.4 million in restitution to his victims.
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