Peloton, best known for its high-end stationary bike and controversial advertisements, is now infamous for its treadmill product, Tread+, which is responsible for causing the death of at least one small child and injuring dozens more, a new proposed class action suit alleges. 

The suit, filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses Peloton Interactive, Inc. of misrepresenting their treadmills as safe and family-friendly. Per reporting from Bloomberg Law, the suit says that Peloton’s advertisement of the treadmill, which exceeds $4,000, features pictures of a woman with a young girl, presumably her daughter, working out. 

This image, therefore, makes it seem that the Tread+ is safe to operate in homes with young children. However, according to the suit, one child died as a result of becoming trapped under the exercise machine. 

The suit alleges that in addition to other kids having been injured by the treadmill, pets have also become trapped and have experienced physical harm. 

Earlier this month, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning, advising customers of Tread+ to not use it in the presence of small children or pets. The CPSC, which said 23 of 39 Tread+ incidents reported have involved children, released a video showing a little boy playing with a ball near a Tread+, when suddenly he gets stuck and then pulled under the treadmill. Eventually, the boy manages to break free, unharmed.

Bloomberg Law says the proposed class suit is the first one filed at the federal level since the warning was issued. 

The plaintiff is Shannon Albright, who paid $4,295 for the treadmill in September 2020, under the assumption that the machine would not pose a risk to children. 

Peloton, which is headquartered in New York and has seen its share value plummet since the warning was issued, characterized the commission’s warning as “misleading and inaccurate,” per Bloomberg Law. 

As long as all warnings and safety instructions are followed, the company’s statement said, there’s no reason that people need to stop using its treadmill.

Albright says that she, and presumably others who join the class should be issued a full refund, or offered a replacement device that’s safer to operate in the presence of children and pets.To read the full article on BloombergLaw.com, click here.