You either love them or you loathe them…

For the lovers, they will be pleased to know that Crocs has recently settled a number of design defect lawsuits rather than contest allegations that its uber popular and brightly coloured foam rubber clogs are unsafe for children to wear on moving escalators. On Point states that since February 2008, parents of at least 11 children allegedly injured when their clogs got caught in escalators sued Crocs for product liability, breach of warranty, and failure to warn of a design defect.

For the loathers, Crocs, the maker of the faddish garish plastic monstrosities, lost $185 million in 2008 and recently laid off a third of its workforce. It has also been sued for providing false information to shareholders. Hence the incentive to avoid costly design defect litigation. But that might not be enough – one reason why the company is cited to be struggling is for the fact that the shoes last so long so customers don’t need to buy new ones.

So whatever your thoughts, they’re not likely to disappear any time soon!