Maker of Vibram Five Fingers Agrees to Pay Millions to Settle Lawsuit

In addition to a financial settlement:

"Vibram has agreed to discontinue to make any claims that FiveFingers footwear is effective in strengthening muscles or reducing injury in its marketing and advertising campaigns, unless the company discovers new scientific evidence that proves it."

Complete article:

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/vibram-agrees-to-settle-class-action-lawsuit

Well, that's interesting.

I started running in Vibram Five Fingers about a year ago and honestly do believe they strengthen calf muscles significantly, which in turn would hypothetically lead to a reduction in injuries. From the standpoint of hiking and climbing, running in Five Fingers is much better training than running in regular sneakers, which tend to target the thighs more.

Having said that, I did blow a calf muscle pretty good about three weeks ago while overdoing it a bit. So I'll take take the free pair of Vibrams from the settlement with a clean conscience.

They still work excellent for kayaking.

IQuest said:

They still work excellent for kayaking.

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Yeah - I've heard them being used as 'boat shoes' for comfort/grip as opposed to anything special for ones health.

Great video about "barefoot" running/runners.
http://xeroshoes.com/barefoot-running-humor/sht-barefoot-runners-say/

I gotta say, though, that the NOBO through-hiker wearing VFF I met In The Pressies last summer got my attention!

Wow. While I'd not hesitate to enlist an attorney to help get me get justice if I was seriously wronged, things are out of control. If I'm correctly understanding the report, I think this trumps even that notorious incident with the McD customer who spilled her coffee. These are businesses. When they incur litigation costs like this, who pays for them? The customers.

alexmtn said:

I think this trumps even that notorious incident with the McD customer who spilled her coffee.

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There is a lot of misinformation floating around about that incident. McD's was well aware of the scalding issue for YEARS, and did nothing.

McDonald's admitted that it has known about the risk of serious burns from its scalding hot coffee for more than 10 years -- the risk was brought to its attention through numerous other claims and suits, to no avail;
From 1982 to 1992, McDonald's coffee burned more than 700 people, many receiving severe burns to the genital area, perineum, inner thighs, and buttocks;

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Thanks, Tim.

Also, see this video:
http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...en-news-media.html?playlistId=100000002148738

It may seem frivolous in this instance, but making unfounded medical claims about a product can have serious consequences. Companies don't kick out millions of dollars if they think they are right. The usual "we don't agree and don't admit any wrongdoing" is language that helps companies avoid any admissions that may later be used in a civil suit and the government goes along because it encourages settlement of these kinds of cases. And yes, I do have a bar card in my wallet.