Attorney General sues body armor company for allegedly selling unsafe equipment
According to a news release, Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit against a body armor company and its affiliates.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, targets ShotStop Ballistics, Vallmar Studios and owner Vall Iliev.
This lawsuit stems from a cross-agency investigation that launched after claims were made that ShotStop was misrepresenting the origins and protective ability of its ballistics products.
ShotStop, based in Stow, marketed and sold body armor and other ballistic-resistant products through its website and other retailers.
According to the release, the company claimed its products were made in-house or by affiliate Vallmar Studios. Furthermore, they claimed that they met safety standards established by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
According to the release, the plates - the main protective component of bulletproof vests - did not meet the safety standards necessary to protect users.
Investigations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation found evidence of ShotStop allegedly importing Chinese-made plates and falsely labelling them as Ohio-manufactured and NIJ-certified.
The lawsuit seeks restitution for consumers who bought the defective bulletproof vests.
The release states that although the criminal proceedings at the federal level are ongoing, this lawsuit represents an effort to hold ShotStop accountable for endangering Ohio consumers.
