Victim of ex-Subway pitchman drops charges in Indiana suit
By Timothy Mclaughlin
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A victim of former Subway sandwich pitchman and convicted sex offender Jared Fogle who was seeking $150,000 in damages for negligence and mental suffering filed to have charges against him dropped, according to documents from an Indiana courthouse.
Fogle, who became famous after losing weight on a diet that included sandwiches from the fast-food chain, pleaded guilty last year to charges of child pornography and traveling for illicit paid sex with minors.
The plaintiff in the Indiana civil suit, a minor identified as Jane Doe in court documents, brought charges against Fogle in March. But she filed on Thursday to have the case dismissed with prejudice, meaning that it cannot be brought back to court.
"We are pleased with the dismissal with prejudice," Ron Elberger, an attorney for Fogle, said by telephone on Friday. "There was no settlement."
Mike Stephenson, the girl's attorney, declined to comment.
The suit was filed against Fogle and the former director of his foundation, Russel Taylor, and said they were negligent in secretly filming the girl and distributing nude images.
No attorney was listed for the Taylor in court documents. Brad Banks, who has represented Taylor previously in a criminal case, could not be reached for comment on Friday.
The suit said Taylor distributed some of the sexually explicit images and videos of Jane Doe and other minors to Fogle, who encouraged and solicited the nude images and videos to continue. Angela Taylor, the former director's wife, was also named in the lawsuit.
Fogle responded to the suit in September with a motion that said the girl's parents' "hateful and abusive" relationship toward each other, alcohol abuse and a lack of parental supervision caused emotional distress and depression suffered by their daughter, and paved the way for several "destructive behaviors" in which she engaged.
Fogle and Russell Taylor pleaded guilty last year to child pornography and sex offenses. Fogle is serving a 15-1/2-year prison sentence, which was upheld by a U.S. appeals court in Chicago in June. Taylor is serving a 27-year sentence.
(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Dan Grebler)
