Two sprinters have filed a lawsuit against Puma and the Mercedes F1 team alleging that shoe designs posed significant injury risks following a similar claim from Abby Steiner in April.
Damion Thomas Jr. and Champion Allison said in their complaint in Massachusetts Superior Court on Tuesday that several models, including the Deviate NitroElite 2, Deviate Nitro 2, Deviate Nitro, evoSPEEDTokyo Nitro 400M, evoSpeed Tokyo Brush and other shoes that contain carbon fiber and the company’s nitrogen-infused foam contributed to injuries and both sprinters are unable to compete at elite levels.
Thomas said learning of Steiner’s injuries made him consider his own ailments and the shoes he wore in training and competition. He and Allison are represented by Peter Flowers, the lawyer who filed the initial lawsuit against Puma and Mercedes F1 on behalf of Steiner.
“When I learned about Abby Steiner’s lawsuit, it was the first time I considered that what happened to me wasn’t just bad luck,” Thomas said in statement. “Like a lot of athletes, I assumed my injury was something I had to deal with on my own. If it took a lawsuit for me to realize I wasn’t alone, there have to be thousands of other athletes out there who still don’t know.”
In April, Steiner filed a lawsuit against Puma and said her career was effectively over because of alleged faulty shoe designs and she required a series of surgeries.
She also named the Mercedes Formula One racing team in her complaint after Puma teamed up with the company in 2021 to assist with infusing lightweight carbon fiber in shoes. The material is commonly used as a weight-saving component in race cars and is now widespread in the performance running footwear industry.
Steiner, who signed with Puma in 2022, listed several Puma models in her lawsuit and has had three surgeries since dealing with foot ailments since 2023. She claims that both Puma and Mercedes knew about potential issues with the shoes and that customers and professional runners were not qualified to inspect the shoes for problems.
While she continued to resume a competitive career, Steiner said she believed the products she wore would be “properly designed, developed, tested, manufactured, marketed, promoted, advertised, sold and distributed free from defects.”
Puma denied claims that the footwear contributed to her injuries on April 30 and at the time said it was aware that Stiner filed a case. The company, however, stood by its products and noted that athletes are routinely part of the product development process.
“On the contrary, our products are worn by athletes performing at the top of their game in distance running and track and field, breaking records, including the world record in 60m hurdles, pole vault, and high jump,” the company said in late April. “We consistently collaborate with our athletes to provide products that meet their needs.”
In Thomas and Allison’s complain, they note that both Puma and Mercedes F1 knew that the shoe designs, used of carbon fiber and the nitrogen-infused foam could change “the foot and ankle mechanics during running that may contribute to or increase the risk of injury.”
Allison won gold for the United States as part of the men’s 4x400m relay squad at the 2022 world championships in Oregon but has seen limited time on the track in the last three years. He last competed in the 2025 LSU Invitational and ran 46.15 in the men’s 400m.
Thomas competed for Jamaica after specializing in the 60m and 110m hurdles for LSU and appeared at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he reached the 100m hurdles semifinal. He has not competed since July 2024.
