(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a body armor company, its affiliate and the owner of the companies for allegedly selling unsafe equipment to Ohio consumers.
The lawsuit, filed today in Summit County Common Pleas Court, targets ShotStop Ballistics, Vallmar Studios and owner Vall Iliev. The lawsuit stems from a cross-agency investigation launched after allegations surfaced that ShotStop was misrepresenting both the origins and protective ability of its ballistic products.
“Armor is meant to save lives, not sell lies,” Yost said. “Consumers deserve to know that this type of equipment is going to provide the protection promised.”
ShotStop, based in Stow, marketed and sold body armor and other ballistic-resistant products through its website and various other retailers. The company claimed that its products were made in-house or by its affiliate, Vallmar Studios, and that they met the safety standards established by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
But 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 labeling them as Ohio-manufactured and NIJ-certified.
In reality, the plates – the main protective component of bulletproof vests – did not meet the safety standards necessary to protect users.
The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants at one point offered an NIJ-certified product but later sold a non-certified product as certified.
The lawsuit seeks restitution for consumers who bought the defective bulletproof vests. Due to ShotStop’s subsequent bankruptcy filing and the federal government’s seizure of company records in 2023, full accounting of consumer losses will require further legal discovery.
ShotStop is accused of violating the Consumer Sales Practices Act in two ways:
- By failing to deliver the authentic goods that consumers believed they were purchasing.
- By making false representations about the certification and origin of the plates.
Although criminal proceedings at the federal level are ongoing, the lawsuit represents an effort to hold ShotStop accountable for endangering Ohio consumers.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Hundley: 614-906-9113
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