The Federal Trade Commission have filed a complaint against the Gravity Defyer footwear company over the unsubstantiated health claims being made for their shoes:
In a complaint filed in federal district court, the FTC alleged that Elnekaveh violated a 2001 order barring him from such allegedly deceptive advertising by making scientifically unsupported claims and using misleading consumer testimonials to sell Gravity Defyer products. The FTC claimed that the company’s advertisements often targeted older Americans suffering from pain-related conditions like arthritis.
“Ignoring a prior Commission order, Gravity Defyer and its owner used false pain-relief claims to target older Americans and undercut honest competitors,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Health-based claims require science-based proof, and faking it by misusing studies and customer reviews breaks the law.”
Since at least 2016, the defendants have advertised their Gravity Defyer footwear as containing soles with “VersoShock” technology that supposedly relieves pain, including pain in people suffering from numerous medical conditions. According to the FTC’s complaint, the ads claim, without competent and reliable scientific evidence, that Gravity Defyer footwear:
- will relieve pain, including knee, back and foot pain;
- will relieve pain in people suffering from multiple conditions such as plantar fasciitis, arthritis, joint pain, and heel spurs; and
- is clinically proven to relieve pain, including 85 percent less knee pain, 91 percent less back pain, 92 percent less ankle pain, and 75 percent less foot pain.
Gravity Defyer originally received some notoriety and ridicule for their original logo that was shaped like a sperm, signifying the seed of new life that happens when you try their shoes.
Follow on Podiatry Arena: FTC suing Gravity Defyer footwear & PodiaPaedia: Federal Trade Commission v Gravity Defyer Medical Technology Corporation.
