Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are three of four dozen states involved in a $45 million settlement with Skechers USA, Inc., a shoe company accused of deceptive advertising involving their rocker-bottom shoe products. $40 million will be used to refund customers who bought the Shape-ups, Tone-ups and the Skechers Resistance Runners. Officials in Ohio and Tennessee co-led an investigation into the health-related claims that Skechers made in their ads, saying Skechers shoes would promote weight loss, burn more calories, fight cellulite, improve circulation and firm muscles in the thigh, buttocks and back. The attorney generals of all the states involved filed lawsuits alleging the benefits were not adequately substantiated at the time Skechers made the claims. Under the settlement, Skechers is prohibited from making these claims without adequate substantiation.
