Skechers USA will pay a $40 million settlement over charges that the company made false claims about its Shape-ups sneakers (Reebok paid $25 million in a similar case in 2011). The lawsuit stemmed from a number of Skechers ads stating that Shape-ups could improve muscle tone, make you lose weight, do your laundry, and even cook your kids dinner! (None of those claims were actually true, but we made up the last two.) Everyone who bought these shoes and is still wondering why their thighs are just as jiggly as ever is entitled to a full refund, according to the Federal Trade Commission. So gleeful was the FTC’s David Vladeck about the settlement that he made a terribly cheesy pun in his announcement today: “[The] message, for Skechers and other national advertisers, is to shape up your substantiation or tone down your claims.” (Nudge, nudge.)
