US track and field athlete Abby Steiner is suing Puma and the Mercedes Formula 1 team over a shoe design that she says permanently injured her feet and ended her competitive career.
Attorneys representing Steiner, 26, of Dublin, Ohio, filed a product liability lawsuit April 14 in a Massachusetts court.
Although Puma and Mercedes marketed Steiner’s running shoes as innovative, safe, and effective for elite athletes, the complaint alleges the mechanism of the shoe changed how the stress of running affected the rest of the body.
The complaint states that Puma and Mercedes knew that the shoes could cause bone stress injuries, increase the likelihood of foot injuries, and result in increased strain.
Steiner said she started wearing Puma’s shoes in September 2022 for training and competition. Because of the improperly manufactured shoes, the suit contends she developed “severe and permanent injuries resulting in multiple surgeries, rehabilitations and recovery” that ended her competitive career, including competing for the Olympics.
