A lawsuit filed in Boston's federal court asserts that Reebok made false claims about the fitness benefits of its EasyTone shoes. The lawsuit by Massachusetts consumer Sandra Altieri claims that because of Reebok's marketing campaign, Altieri and others paid a premium to buy EasyTone shoes.
The suit pointed to the study funded by the American Council on Fitness and conducted by researchers with the University of Wisconsin that found that found no major difference in the shoes' impact on exercise intensity or muscle activation between toning shoes and conventional athletic footwear. The suit, which is seeking class action status, does not mention Altieri's personal experience with the shoes.
Reebok in a statement refuted those charges.
“The class action complaint recently filed with regard to Reebok’s EasyTone shoe is unfounded and the company will vigorously defend both the product and technology,” Reebok stated. “As a leading fitness and athletic brand, Reebok has a long history of developing new and innovative technologies, and we stand behind all of our products. We are proud of EasyTone’s unique balance ball-inspired technology, and consumer feedback for the product has been overwhelmingly positive.”
