By LawInspectsIf you’re a big fan of Nike shoes and you’re too deep into it, then of course, you must already be familiar with The Shoe Surgeon guy, right? Well, the thing is, it went pretty good all these years, but now we’re seeing something like the Shoe Surgeon Lawsuit, and yes, your Shoe Surgeon guy and Nike are involved deep into this one. So, let’s get to the details and understand it in a much better way.
Wait, Who’s This Shoe Surgeon Guy?
For those who know little to nothing about The Shoe Surgeon, let’s just get to know him a little better here. First things first, Dominic Ciambrone is his full name, and he really is big in the shoe industry, and you’ll come to realize why that is. The Shoe Surgeon will make a very basic sneaker, for example, your kinda basic Nike Air Jordan 1 or Air Force 1, into something very unique with traveling leather, exotic materials, or crazy designs to make these shoes an absolute one-off. His company, SRGN Studios, is about making sneakers that feel special-near-art you can wear.
And as you can see it already, yes, a lot of people are kinda fond of or in love with his work for all the good reasons actually! In their view, it is not just another shoe on a shelf; it is an extraordinary customization made to stand apart from all others. However, as you shall see, there were some who simply refused to see him doing that. Let us go into it now.
What Got Nike So Worked Up?
Strange as it may seem, Nike and The Shoe Surgeon used to work and get along with each other. In those days, they collaborated on some rad projects together. He made bespoke sneakers for super athletes like LeBron James, and Nike allowed it. It was a special design for one person only, and there was no problem whatsoever.
But particular things took a turn. Nike filed a huge $60 million lawsuit against The Shoe Surgeon in New York in June 2024. The kind of money you would say! So, what riled old Nike? Well, they claimed that The Shoe Surgeon was no longer just amusing himself with personal design work on custom sneakers. He had turned the operations into a full-fledged business: custom shoes, kits, and even classes on how to make them. And the flip side is: he used Nike’s logos and designs without their consent.
The $60 Million in Damages
So, Nike decided to file a lawsuit, which we now know as this popular Shoe Surgeon Lawsuit. They wanted the Shoe Surgeon to be enjoined from using their logos or design, and trademarks on anything that he makes or sells. Along with this, they wanted $60 million for damages allegedly caused to them by the unauthorized use of their brand name. That is a serious number!
In its complaint, Nike actually called his work “counterfeiting,” that is to say, making fake copies of their shoes. They further said that by his classes, he was teaching people to make fake Nikes and that customers were being misled, which ultimately harmed Nike’s reputation.
Surprise Twist: They Worked It Out Quietly
An advancement was in this case actually pretty recent, like in June 2025, we saw that neither Nike nor The Shoe Surgeon was subjected to a big, ugly trial. Therefore, everything got settled out of court. They sat down, talked it through, and came to an acceptance. That’s exactly how it went down, though; we don’t know the exact details of what really happened, like the actual details of it all. Nobody really knows how much money The Shoe Surgeon ended up having to pay Nike, but money did change hands one way or the other.