An Oregon federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against On that alleged that shoes using company’s distinct CloudTec midsole technology produced “embarrassing” squeaky sounds.
As part of a class action suit filed in October 2025 in the U.S. District Court of Oregon, the plaintiffs claimed that shoes with the midsole noticeably squeaked under normal wear.
United States District Judge Karin J. Immergut agreed with On in her motion that was signed last Thursday and published on Monday and stated the suit be dismissed while lawyers for the sportswear maker argued that rubber shoe squeaking is normal in the footwear industry.
Models with CloudTec foam have a row of oval, hexagonal or other geometric shaped holes that extend the entire width of the shoes and potentially included the Cloud 5, Cloud 6, CloudMonsters, Cloudtilts, Cloudsurfer, Cloudeclipse, Cloudleap, CloudSky, CloudSwift, Cloudzone and Cloudrunner models.
The holes are a feature commonly associated with some On footwear and described by the brand as a “structural cushioning system that creates our signature feel” that absorbs impact and “deliver multi-directional support.”
The initial plaintiffs, Patricia Ramirez and Louis Bologna, originally said in 2025 that the squeaking sounds drew attention and their shoes needed to be modified in order to eliminate the sounds. Their suit also accused On of not telling customers about the squeaking defect, which they say is not covered under company’s warranty.
But Immergut’s briefing ruled that the plaintiffs did not establish that On purposely tried to mislead buyers about the alleged defect, but did not disclose the issues with the sole through omission.
The plaintiffs, who later included Eric Briendel, Joseph Injaychock and Ryan Nager, also did not claim that the shoes failed to function like other running shoes but did produce a “persistent squeak” repeatedly when worn.
In their filing, the plaintiffs said that numerous other customers who would ultimately would have been included as part of the class-action expressed their frustration on social media and online forums like Reddit while others came up with their own solutions to stop the squeaking and break in the
“No reasonable consumer would purchase shoes as highly priced as Defendant’s — or paid as much for them as they did—if they needed to make DIY alterations to make the Products wearable,” the original complaint said.
While the case was dismissed without prejudice, the plaintiffs, who are from New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts can still file similar lawsuits against On in those states.
