In New Jersey and throughout the country, plaintiffs are filing lawsuits against shoe manufacturers Skechers U.S.A. Inc., claiming that the company’s Shape-Ups shoes have caused them serious injury. According to the products liability lawsuits, the shape of the shoes causes a substantial risk of falling and causing serious injury.
Shape-Ups are a relatively new shoe product, designed with a rounded bottom to place their wearers off balance and, in doing so, create resistance that works the muscles in their legs and lower bodies. However, wearers claim that the product design goes beyond that goal, creating a substantial risk of injury by throwing them far off balance.
In one of the latest lawsuits filed against Skechers, a plaintiff claims that she was injured while touring Washington, D.C., in the shoes. In the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that her shoe suddenly “pronated inward and caused her left ankle to roll sideways resulting in excruciating pain.” She ultimately suffered a torn tendon, and was forced to have surgery.
The plaintiff claims that Skechers is to blame for her injury because the company coerced her into purchasing the shoes despite its knowledge that the shoes’ “elevated and unstable rocker-bottom sole” created a “substantial risk of causing chronic injuries and inducing falls.”
In addition to the personal injury lawsuits that have been filed against Skechers in recent months, there is also a pending class action lawsuit alleging that Skechers falsely and fraudulently markets the shoes as having significant health and fitness benefits.
If you have been injured by a dangerous or defective product, please contact Breslin & Breslin for a free consultation.
Source: The Blog of Legal Times, “Skechers Tort Suit Shapes Up in Washington,” Zoe Tillman, August 12, 2011
