Plaintiffs Question Benefits of Skechers Shoes

San Diego, CAIt is the ultimate irony that more and more consumers are coming to view the perceived advantages of Skechers Shape-up shoes as "sketchy." That's because of the number of injuries that have been reported, allegedly due to the new-age shoes that promise a toned body just from walking. A Skechers Shape-up Shoes Consumer Fraud Class Action suggests that such claims ring hollow.

Lisa Baseet is one former Skechers devotee who now thinks differently. According to a report aired in January by 10News of San Diego, Baseet suffered a serious injury after using the allegedly beneficial toning shoes. "I twisted my ankle and heard something snap," she told a reporter from 10News.

Baseet indicates her Skechers Shape-up' Shoes injury includes torn ligaments and tendons in her left ankle. The Ventura woman is one of 37 plaintiffs named in a class-action lawsuit against the shoe manufacturer. Litigants who had purchased Shape-ups or Tone-ups allege the shoes were not properly designed and tested, and have fostered serious injuries—from torn cartilage to fractures of the hip.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the tone-up shoes lawsuit note that the simple act of walking has been a part of the human condition since evolution. However, the rounded soles of the shoes at the center of the controversy allegedly alter the way people walk, and consumers are bound to have problems.

Some plaintiffs are injured from the simple act of walking with the allegedly problematic shoes, while others are hurt from a resulting fall.

10News San Diego noted the tribulations of Danette Reando, a resident of the College Area region of San Diego and an avid hiker who donned a pair of Skechers Shape-Up shoes when she was unable to locate her regular shoes normally used for hikes in the mountains.

Hiking up Cowles Mountain in California State was not a problem. However, descending the mountain was another matter—and even though she was making her way down slowly via what was described as a straightaway, Reando fell.

"I took a step and instantly I was on the ground," said Reando. "I looked down and my right foot was horizontal." The stricken woman had to be airlifted to the hospital and was treated for torn ligaments and broken bones.

10News reported that since airing its original story on Skechers, reports from disgruntled consumers have increased. The current crop of 37 plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit is expected to double in size.

Skechers issued a statement to 10News, saying in part, "The injury rate attributed to Shape-ups is comparable to or lower than the estimated injury rate for other types of footwear, including high heels, or for other balance training exercise equipment."

As for Reando, she states, "You don't get a piece of paper inside warning you about anything…I really wish as a product they would have done a better job, and then I wouldn't be sitting here today in a wheelchair." It is not known if Reando is one of the original 37 plaintiffs in the Skechers Shape-up Shoes Consumer Fraud Class Action.