One of Kim Kardashian's most recent windfalls was in the form of an endorsement deal with Sketchers for their product "Shape-Ups." A "toning shoe" that is supposed to exercise the wearer's lower body just through normal wear. Despite the ringing Kardashian endorsement, the Federal Trade Commission determined otherwise – that the claims made by Sketchers were false, and that the shoes don't really tone much of anything.
Kardashian's endorsement contract ended in January, but that hasn't stopped her from continuing to own (and maybe even wear) the shoes – in fact, she stands by the claim that the shoes worked for her, and that that effectiveness is what caused her to agree to be the product's pitchman in the first place.
And Kim Kardashian isn't the only party that's continuing to stand by the company's debunked claims – Sketchers itself, despite agreeing to pay out a $40 million class action settlement (and refunds for any consumer that bought the shoes while the claims were being made), continues to say their Shape-Ups have physical benefits. And get a load of this: As part of the settlement, Sketchers is allowed to continue marketing Shape-Ups as a toning shoe with physical benefits for the wearer. A representative of the company says that they only agreed to pay the settlement because responding to every lawsuit in court would have been prohibitively expensive for the company.
Regardless, Kim Kardashian isn't going to see much of an impact on her finances as a result of this lawsuit, other than the fact she won't be promoting Sketchers Shape-Ups anymore. But don't feel too sorry for her, she and the rest of the Kardashian clan recently signed a massive reality TV deal, so it's unlikely that Kim Kardashian will be jonesing for cash any time soon.
