Skechers Toning Shoe Settlement of $40M Approved for Class Action

On Monday, a federal judge approved a settlement agreement in which Skechers USA Inc. will pay more than $40 million to customers who bought shoes that were designed to tone up muscles and burn fat; claims that a class action lawsuit filed against the company alleged were unfounded.  

The Skechers toning shoe lawsuit was filed in March 2012, alleging that Skechers used deceptive advertising and sold its Shape-Up, Tone-Up and Resistance Runner shoe at a premium price, without providing the claimed benefits.

The settlement comes after the Federal Trade Commission pressured the company to reimburse customers for the shoes and to tone down its advertising. The company agreed to the settlement, but has not admitted any wrongdoing.

The Skechers class action lawsuit settlement will result in approved participants receiving $54 if they purchased Skechers Padded Sole Shoes, $84 if they purchased a pair of Resistance Runner shoes, $80 if they purchased a pair of Shape-Ups, and $40 if they purchased a pair of Tone-Ups. More than 520,000 plaintiffs are expected to receive reimbursements. About 1,000 people opted out of the class action lawsuit, many of whom may be intending to file individual lawsuits alleging that the design of the shoes caused them to suffer various injuries.

Skechers toning shoe injury lawsuits have been filed in a number of courts throughout the country, alleging that the rocker-bottom design caused customers to suffer stress fractures, damage to tendons and ligaments, fractures to the feet, wrists, hips and ankles, as well as head and back injuries.

Skechers introduced the shoes with a pronounced rocker bottom sole. The company promoted the shoes with slogans such as “shape up while you walk,” suggesting that wearing the shoes would promote weight loss, tone muscles, improve posture, tighten abdominals, firm the buttocks, thighs and calves; among other claims.  However, the benefits of the design were never tested and a number of users experienced very different effects from the Shape-Up and Tone-Up shoes.

According to allegations raised in the Skechers lawsuits, the manufacturer intentionally misled consumers to believe the shoes were beneficial to their health, claiming that they would improve cardiac function and provide orthopedic benefits, despite any medical proof verifying these claims.  In addition, claims indicate that the rocker bottom design actually caused or contributed to serious personal injuries for many consumers.