Footing the Bill: Skechers to Pay Millions for Misleading Shape-Up Shoes

Remember those annoying Skechers ads purporting you can look like this if you just wear Skechers Tone-Ups? That just by wearing a certain pair of shoes you are kind of almost working out? Like, you will totally lose weight and gain muscle.

You may remember there was parental outrage after Skechers started targeting young girls in the Tone-Up ads, so the huge hit the company has taken monetarily is a win for myriad reasons.

Kim Kardashian was one of a slew of celebs who helped peddle the shoes, exciting Americans so much they spent a reported billion dollars on the shoes in 2010. Unfortunately, the only thing that got a work-out was their bank account.

Related: 12 ways to sneak workout time into your day

On Monday, a bunch of people who bought the shoes thinking they'd tone their way to healthy just by wearing them won a $40 million class-action settlement. As ABC News reports, a judge approved the agreement Monday which covers more than half a million claims. Those with approved claims will get a refund of up to $80 per pair of shoes including Shape-Ups, Resistance Runner shoes, Podded Sole Shoes and Tone-Ups.

Skechers still denies its ads were misleading but has agreed to pay the money to avoid a costly legal battle. Skechers can still sell the shoes, they just can't market them in the same way.

Bottom line: if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

By Monica Bielanko
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