Abby Steiner filed a lawsuit against Puma and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in a Massachusetts state court, alleging the company's shoe products have flawed designs, causing a series of injuries that severely impacted her career.

The 26-year-old runner claims the shoe design, specifically the carbon fiber plate (CFP) and nitrofoam (NF) cushioning technology, "altered the biomechanics of the foot and ankle during running," increasing injury risk. She alleges these products are "unsafe, dangerous, and harmful to users under normal use conditions."

Abby Steiner is suing Puma and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, claiming their products forced an early end to her elite career. USA TODAY Sports

Abby Steiner is suing Puma and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, claiming their products forced an early end to her elite career. USA TODAY Sports

The lawsuit names shoe models including the Deviate Nitro Elite 2 and 3, evoSpeed Tokyo Nitro, evoSpeed Tokyo Nitro 400M, and other products utilizing similar technology. Steiner states she used these shoes in both training and competition, expecting them to be safely designed and tested.

Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd is named in the lawsuit not for its racing activities, but for its technical and design support during Puma's running shoe development. The complaint alleges both parties were directly involved in the product's design, manufacturing, promotion, and distribution.

Steiner signed a sponsorship deal with Puma in 2022. However, by 2025, she had undergone multiple surgeries and rehabilitation for foot injuries. A year prior, she shared on social media about training in pain, even "limping before and after practice" during the Olympic year.

The lawsuit further claims Puma and Mercedes promoted the products with statements promising increased stability, optimized performance, and explosive propulsion, while in reality, they risked injury. Steiner alleges the parties knew or should have known about these defects but failed to warn users or report them to the U.S. consumer product safety agency.

According to the filing, the carbon fiber plate and nitrofoam technologies can alter an athlete's biomechanics, causing bone stress injuries, raising foot damage risk, and generating abnormal impact forces. Consequently, Steiner stated she was forced to retire from professional athletics in August 2025. "Due to the severe and permanent injuries caused by the shoe products, the plaintiff is no longer able to compete at a professional level, including the Olympics," the lawsuit states.

Neither Puma nor the Mercedes F1 team has commented on the matter.

Abby Steiner (far left) with the U.S. team winning gold in the 4x400m relay at the 2022 Eugene World Championships. WYMT

Abby Steiner (far left) with the U.S. team winning gold in the 4x400m relay at the 2022 Eugene World Championships. WYMT

Steiner currently holds U.S. national indoor records in the 200m and 300m, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record in the 200m. Her personal bests are 10,90 seconds in the 100m and 21,77 seconds in the 200m. She won gold medals in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay at the 2022 Eugene World Championships.

In 2022, Steiner received the Honda Sports Award for the top U.S. collegiate female track and field athlete. She was also named "athlete-student of the year" at the Southeastern Conference for both indoor and outdoor seasons. Later in 2022, Steiner won The Bowerman, the highest honor for a U.S. collegiate track and field athlete.

Steiner graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and exercise science in May 2022. She was accepted into the university's physical therapy program but deferred to pursue a professional track and field career.

By Hong Duy