Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden today announced that more than 1,000 Delaware consumers are receiving refunds from Skechers USA in a settlement with the company that resolved charges that it advertised certain health benefits from wearing its line of rocker-bottom athletic shoes without the evidence to substantiate those claims. As part of last year’s settlement, Sketchers was required to pay partial refunds to consumers nationwide who purchased the Shape-Ups, Tone-Ups, or the Skechers Resistance Runner shoes. Biden announced today that 1,202 Delaware consumers who filed valid claims began receiving their payments last week, which will total $84,117 statewide.
“I am pleased that more than a thousand Delawareans who purchased these athletic products are receiving the refunds we secured for them,” Biden said. “We’ll continue to act to protect consumers by ensuring that companies are held accountable for the benefits they claim in their advertising.”
In May, 2012, Biden announced that Delaware had joined the federal government, 42 states, and the District of Columbia in reaching an agreement with Skechers USA to resolve allegations that Skechers violated Delaware’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and other laws by making health-related claims in the marketing, packaging, and selling of its line of rocker-bottom shoe products including Shape-ups, Tone-ups, and the Skechers Resistance Runner. The states and federal government alleged that Skechers claimed these products caused consumers to lose weight, burn more calories, improve circulation, fight cellulite, and firm, tone or strengthen thigh, buttock, and back muscles without adequately substantiating these claims by competent and reliable scientific evidence.
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