1-877-MY-Advocates (692-3862)
by staceyb
on May 14, 2012
View brief videos of Jenner showing the shoe, demonstrating how it causes injuries and describing how injured persons can get justice and how buyers may get their money back as litigation against Sketchers moves forward.
Robert K. Jenner of Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC, has been appointed to serve as Co-Lead Counsel for all plaintiffs who have filed federal court lawsuits against Skechers for injuries allegedly caused by its rocker bottom “Shape-Ups” toning shoes. Ronald E. Johnson, Jr. of Schachter Hendy & Johnson, PSC, was also named Co-Lead Counsel for the litigation.
Judge Thomas B. Russell named Jenner and Johnson to their new leadership roles in an order filed May 3, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in Louisville, where the Skechers multidistrict litigation case (MDL No. 2308) is being litigated.
“Judge Russell’s order marks an important milestone in this litigation,” said Jenner, a partner and head of the Mass Torts Division of JJ&S. “This order allows us to move ahead with seeking justice and compensation for all consumers who, we contend, have suffered serious injuries as a result of wearing these shoes, and who were never adequately warned about these risks,” Jenner said.
According to the order, Jenner and Johnson will serve as Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel for all actions that were transferred to the court when the Skechers multidistrict litigation case (MDL No. 2308) was created on December 19, 2011, as well as all related federal court cases subsequently transferred to the court.
As Co-Lead Counsel, the attorneys will be responsible for prosecuting the claims and coordinating the pretrial proceedings for the individual personal injury plaintiffs.
Their role will include handling pretrial motions, consulting and employing experts, calling meetings of the plaintiffs’ counsel and handling the negotiation of settlements. They must also prepare and distribute periodic status reports to the plaintiffs.
According to court documents, the plaintiffs claim that they have sustained injuries from the allegedly defective Skechers “Shape-Ups” toning shoes due to the shoes’ rocker bottom sole. They claim that the design altered their gait and caused severe lateral instability.
Johnson, a partner in the Fort Wright, Kentucky personal injury firm of Schachter Hendy & Johnson, PSC, pointed to a May 2011 Consumer Reports article stating that toning shoes had produced more injury reports than any other product in its database.
“The reported injuries included broken bones, torn meniscus and Achilles tendons, and stress fractures of the feet, legs and hips,” Johnson said. “We contend that the very design of these shoes has placed consumers at a heightened risk for suffering both acute and chronic injuries.”
According to court documents, the plaintiffs also allege that Skechers promoted its toning shoes as having multiple health benefits compared to ordinary athletic shoes while knowing the shoes do not confer those benefits and failing to warn of the shoes’ serious additional risks.
Jenner said that consumers should learn more about toning shoes by going to his firm’s toning shoe injury website or its “The Facts About Toning Shoe Injuries” Facebook page.
Additionally, he encouraged consumers to read a report by the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. In the report, the AAPSM said that “some manufacturers greatly overstate the benefits and do not fully disclose the risks associated with toning shoes.”
Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC, is a national personal injury and product liability law firm with offices in Baltimore, MD, Columbia, SC, and Asheville, NC, and a satellite office in New York City. Robert K. Jenner has more than 25 years of experience representing injured consumers nationwide against the manufacturers of defective products, including medical devices and dangerous drugs. He has been honored by his peers for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America,” and “Maryland’s Super Lawyers.” The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for its clients. For more information, call Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC, today at 1-877-MY-ADVOCATES (692-3862) or use the firm’s online contact form.
I have worn the shape up sneakers. I have already had one surgery on my left ankle due to a fall. There was broken bone that needed to be scraped out. I just found out today that I will now need to have another surgery on my right ankle due to years of tendonitious. I have torn tendons/ligaments that need to be repaired. I am looking at 6-9 months of recovery. The first surgery I had was a shorter recovery, about 4-6 months.
Do I have a case? I did some research when I heard about injuries caused by these sneakers. The injuries listed are exactly was I am suffering from. Please advise. Thank you.