Skechers Class Action Lawsuit Says Light-Up Shoes May Explode

A class action lawsuit alleges that Skechers’ light-up kid shoes can explode during normal use and cause chemical burns.

Plaintiff Sherry Foster says she purchased Skechers S-Lights light-up shoes for her 9-year-old son.

She claims that while her son was using the shoes normally, he suffered chemical burns on the bottom of his feet.

According to the Skechers class action lawsuit, the burns were caused because the shoes possess a faulty battery that gives off too much heat and ruptures.

Foster argues that numerous other children have also suffered chemical burns from the shoes.

The Skechers shoes class action aims to hold Skechers accountable for her son’s injury, and aims to represent both herself and other consumers who purchased shoes and whose children were injured by the product.

Allegedly, the shoes possess a faulty design. According to the Skechers light up shoes class action lawsuit, the shoes contain Ni-Cad batteries.

However, Ni-Cad batteries are “widely known” to build up excess heat when encapsulated like they are in the heel of the Skechers shoes, an occurrence which Foster claims can cause the batteries to explode.

The Skechers light-up shoes class action lawsuit claims that “the combination of an encapsulated battery in an environment which commonly contains sweat and moisture from environmental sources — specifically a child’s shoe — presents a clear and present danger for the users of such a product.”

The plaintiff goes on to argue that Skechers knew or should have known that there was a dangerous risk associated with the shoe design, but continued to sell and market the shoes anyway, without warning customers of the danger, or attempting to design a less dangerous shoe.

Foster claims that the company “disregarded these risks in designing, marketing, and selling the … defective sneakers to consumers.”

The Skechers light-up shoes class action lawsuit claims that the company received numerous complaints from parents who had experienced the defect, and made efforts to “keep consumers quiet.”

Allegedly, even when consumers first purchased the shoes, the company provided little to no information about the shoes to the customers, merely warning them not to machine wash the shoes, as that could exacerbate the risk of the shoes overheating and exploding.

To deal with consumer complaints, Skechers allegedly “implemented a routine practice of contacting consumers who reported problems with styles in the [light-up shoes] and offering and providing replacement shoes.”

Foster argues that this effort on the part of Skechers did not do enough to remedy injuries, as many consumers’ feet were burned because of the shoes, resulting in physical injury from the product, and many consumers spent money on defective shoes, which caused them financial injury.

The plaintiff is represented by Frank R. Schirripa, Daniel B. Rehns, and Hillary M. Nappi of Hach Rose Schirripa & Cheverie LLP, and Conrad J. Benedetto of The Law Office of Conrad J. Benedetto.

The Skechers Exploding Light-Up Shoes Class Action Lawsuit is Sherry Foster v. Skechers USA Inc., Case No. 1:18-cv-10351, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

TCA Viewers, Check out The Skechers Light-Up Shoes Investigation. The article includes a form you can fill out to determine if you qualify to participate in a class action investigation.