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You’ve seen the commercials for Skechers “Shape-ups” shoes, where people such as former NFL quarterback Joe Montana claim wearing the rocker-bottom shoes gets them in shape “without setting foot in a gym.” But are these shoes really all they’re cracked up to be? Not according to a federal class action lawsuit, which claims that not only does Skechers falsely advertise the health benefits of its Shape-Ups shoes, but that the shoes can actually cause injury.
Skechers claims in its advertisements that wearing Shape-Ups can result in noticeable physiological improvements, including weight loss, firmer and stronger muscles, reduced cellulite, improved circulation, and improved posture. These claims, Skechers says, are based on results shown in four clinical studies. According to the class action lawsuit, however, these claims are false.
“Shape-ups provide no health benefit to users beyond what any other ordinary sneaker provides. Worse, Shape-ups have actually injured some consumers,” the lawsuit says. “[Skechers’] false and misleading advertising campaign has allowed it to reap millions of dollars of profit at the expense of the consumers it has mislead.”
The lawsuit alleges the four clinical studies Skechers uses as evidence of Shape-ups’ health benefits are “medically, statistically and scientifically unsound,” and that they are “nothing more than marketing tools.” Studies on Shape-ups and similarly designed rocker-bottom shoes performed by objective third parties have found these types of shoes do not have the benefits that Skechers claims.
“Not only do Shape-ups not provide the benefits as claimed, they have significant drawbacks which Skechers has omitted from its advertising.” The class action lawsuit cites several doctors’ comments published in news reports that state rocker-bottom shoes such as Shape-ups can cause injuries, because they change the person’s walk or gait and are unstable for users who have flat feet or those who have pre-existing difficulties maintaining their balance. They also allegedly can cause injuries in areas that are responsible for maintaining balance, such as the hamstring or ankle.
If certified, the class action lawsuit will seek damages and refunds for consumers who purchased Shape-ups. A copy of the Skechers Shape-ups Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.
NEW DETAILS ON HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR CLAIM IN THE SKECHERS FTC AND CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT SETTLEMENTS IS AT http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/1881-skechers-toning-shoe-class-action-lawsuit-settlement
Updated May 17th, 2012
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386 thoughts onSkechers Shape-Ups Class Action
I already had a pinched sciatic nerve from an accident that my dog caused. After years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on surgeries, the last of which I was fortunate enough to qualify for a spinal cord stimulator. I was beginning to make some progress with this system when I bought a pair of Sketches delux walkers. As I was spending the next few weeks trying to break them in, I kept feeling and hearing pops and cracks all throughout my legs and knew something was very strange about that, but thought that it was something to do with the stimulator, but also felt something was not right with all of the pops and cracks I had experienced in my legs while wearing those shoes and I stopped wearing them. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and the bunion on my right foot was clearly noticeable, as well as pain in my knees and hips and lower back has gotten worse and not even with my stimulator I cannot relieve the pain. I’ve had several adjustments and even worked with an engineer with little to no relief. My quality of life has been crushed since I tried to stick it out and break in those shoes. I stopped wearing them and my plantar fasciitis went away, but I still have daily pain in my legs, knees, hips and lower back. I have been very depressed and in constant pain I truly believe that these shoes are why I haven’t had more success with my stimulator and I don’t believe that it was meant to fix the problems that only began after wearing these shoes. I heard it, I felt it….snaps, crackles and pops all in my legs while wearing these shoes!! What do I do now? My quality of life has been worsened since wearing these shoes.😔
Please add me.