Products Liability
Our lawyers handle pressure cooker lawsuits in all 50 states. This page discusses instant pot lawsuits and discusses the potential settlement payouts victims may receive.
Our attorneys are seeing more and more of these claims. Most pressure cooker lawsuits center around a few common design flaws. Primarily, they include inadequate sealing gaskets or locking mechanisms that fail under normal use conditions. These defects are flaws in the engineering process, where the dynamic stresses of high-pressure steam were not adequately accounted for, or where the durability of materials under repeated use was woefully underestimated.
If you think you have a valid claim for injuries caused by a defective pressure cooker, contact us online or call for a free consultation at 800-553-8082.
Pressure Cooker Litigation News & Updates
December 17, 2024 – $55.5 Million Verdict
In a stunning verdict that will fuel this growing litigation, a Colorado federal jury on Friday awarded $55.5 million to a Denver woman who suffered horrific burns when her Sunbeam pressure cooker exploded, catapulting scalding food across her kitchen.
The accident, which occurred on June 3, 2019, left the woman with life-threatening injuries. Scalding hot beans erupted from her Express Crock Multi-Cooker as she opened the steam release valve, burning 13% of her body. The plaintiff survived but underwent extensive skin grafts and now struggles to regulate her body temperature due to damaged sweat glands.
The jury’s breakdown of responsibility placed 63% of the blame on Newell Brands—despite its claims of non-involvement—and 27% on Sunbeam. It awarded the woman millions: $3.5 million for pain and suffering, $2 million for physical impairment, and $50 million in punitive damages split between the companies.
Key to the case was the cooker’s misleading safety claims. The manual insisted pressure could not build if the lid was improperly secured, yet investigations revealed this was false. Reports from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission showed 119 lid-detachment incidents, causing 99 burns—including plaintiffs’. Though the product was recalled in 2020, the woman’s pressure cooker attorneys argued the companies knew of the danger for years but failed to act.
November 22, 2024 – New Nutri-Pot Digital Pressure Cooker Lawsuit
A new pressure cooker injury lawsuit has been filed against NuWave involving injuries allegedly caused by its 6Q Nutri-Pot Digital Pressure Cooker.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by a woman from the Chicago area who claims that she suffered severe burn injuries. The lawsuit asserts that the pressure cooker had a defect that allowed the lid of the device to rotate and become unsealed while under pressure, causing the scalding hot liquid in the pot to spray out onto the plaintiff.
October 2, 2024 – NIH Study Highlights Dangers of Pressure Cookers
A recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) highlights the very serious dangers posed by instant pressure cooker devices such as the Insta-Pot. The study examined the nature of injuries suffered by a group of over 30 individuals who were involved in pressure cooker incidents. The study reported that these individuals suffered very severe burn injuries.
August 12, 2024 – New Instant Pot Duo Lawsuit
A San Antonio, Texas, woman has filed a pressure cooker lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, against Amazon and Midea America Corp.
The case involves injuries the plaintiff allegedly sustained from an “Instant Pot Duo” pressure cooker, which she claims was defectively designed and manufactured. The complaint alleges that the cooker’s safety mechanisms failed, allowing the lid to be removed while still under pressure, resulting in serious burn injuries. She seeks damages for strict liability, negligence, and breach of implied warranty, and has requested a jury trial.
June 24, 2024 – Pressure Cooker Lawsuit in Louisiana names Midea America, Amazon, and Walmart
June 15, 2024 – New Aldi Ambiano 9-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker Lawsuit
A new pressure cooker lawsuit was filed in federal court in Louisiana on behalf of a man alleging that the Aldi Ambiano 9-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker was defectively designed and manufactured. His suit claims the defect led to his burn injuries when it exploded. The complaint states that the pressure cooker’s safety features failed, causing significant physical and emotional harm, medical expenses, and loss of wages. The plaintiff seeks compensation for his injuries and related damages.
June 14, 2024: Plaintiff’s Expert Permitted to Testify in Pressure Cooker Lawsuit
Yesterday, in Perez v. Sunbeam Products, Inc., the District Court for Colorado denied a motion to exclude the expert testimony of Robert H. Miller. The plaintiff claimed injuries from a Sunbeam multi-cooker, arguing that Miller, a mechanical engineer, lacked specific experience with pressure cookers and that his testimony was unreliable. However, the court found Miller’s 30 years of engineering experience in consumer product safety more than qualified him as an expert.
Miller’s testimony was based on a thorough review of relevant documents and independent testing of the multi-cooker. The court concluded his methodology was sound and his expertise relevant, noting that his opinions on the safety and design compliance of the multi-cooker were within the reasonable confines of his field. The court emphasized that discrepancies between Miller’s findings and a recall notice did not undermine the admissibility of his testimony – it is something Sunbeam can explore on cross examination.
The court also addressed concerns about Miller’s reliance on UL standards, stating that compliance with industry standards is relevant and admissible evidence in determining product safety. The court dismissed the argument that these standards were insufficient, allowing Miller’s testimony on the multi-cooker’s compliance with these standards to be admitted.
June 10, 2024 – Lawsuit Against Aldi in North Carolina
April 1, 2024 – Three Instant Brands Pressure Cooker Lawsuits Filed
Pressure cooker manufacturers Instant Brands LLC and Corelle Brands LLC are facing lawsuits alleging that home cooks sustained burn injuries after opening the lids of their Instant Pots while the appliances were still pressurized. The lawsuits, filed at the same time in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas and the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, all have the same theme. argue that the manufacturers were aware of the safety defect and that the incidents occurred due to their failure to redesign the devices despite affordable and safer alternatives.
The complaints accuse Instant Brands (who is now bankrupt) and Corelle of prioritizing profit over safety by continuing to market and sell these pressure cookers without adequately warning consumers of the risks or recalling the defective products, thus exposing users to significant injury risks.
March 29, 2024- New Cuisinart Pressure Cooker Lawsuit
A new pressure cooker lawsuit against Cuisinart was filed this week in federal court in Connecticut. In Landrum v. Conair Corporation d/b/a Cuisinart, a Mississippi woman alleges serious injuries resulting from the use of a Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker, Model Number CPC-600. Despite Cuisinart’s assurances of safety, including claims that the pressure cooker is equipped with multiple safety features preventing it from being opened while pressurized, the plaintiff contends that these safety measures failed.
According to this pressure cooker suit, the cooker’s lid could be removed while pressure, heat, and steam remained inside. This led to the scalding contents of the pot being ejected onto the plaintiff, causing catastrophic burn injuries, particularly to her chest.
The lawsuit accuses Conair Corporation, operating as Cuisinart, of not only selling a product with significant defects that posed a risk of bodily harm to consumers but also of prioritizing profit over safety. It asserts that Cuisinart continued to market and sell the defective pressure cookers without adequate warnings and failed to recall or redesign the product despite knowing the risks. The plaintiff, a resident of Moss Point, Mississippi, suffered her injuries on April 3, 2020, and seeks damages for her physical injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life. The case raises serious issues about product liability, negligence, and the obligation of manufacturers to ensure the safety and efficacy of their products.
March 27, 2024 – New Cosori Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Filed in Southern California
A new California pressure cooker lawsuit was filed yesterday. The lawsuit stems from a child’s mother being able to remove the lid of the Cosori Premium 6-Quart Pressure Cooker (Model Number CP016-PC) while the unit still retained pressure. This premature removal of the lid, contrary to the pressure cooker’s advertised safety features, led to the explosive ejection of its scalding hot contents. The ejected contents caused catastrophic burn injuries to the child who was in the vicinity of the pressure cooker at the time.
This Cosori pressure cooker lawsuit alleges that despite claims by Cosori of the pressure cooker being equipped with multiple safety mechanisms, including a “Lid Lock Safety” that supposedly prevents the lid from being opened while under pressure, the device failed to prevent the lid’s removal and the subsequent release of hot contents. The injuries suffered by the child caused awful burn injuries, leading to, as you would expect, significant pain, medical expenses, and a diminished quality of life.
February 18, 2024 – New Pressure Cooker Class Action Lawsuit Against Best Buy
Best Buy faces a class action lawsuit in federal court in Georgia following the recall of almost 930,000 Insignia Pressure Cookers due to safety concerns.
The lawsuit is brought forward by plaintiffs claiming that the inner pot of the pressure cookers features incorrect volume markings. This flaw may not only lead individuals to overload the pot but also poses a significant risk of hot foods and liquids being propelled out upon venting via the quick-release method or upon opening while contents are still pressurized. This potential risk to consumers is a matter of serious concern, obviously.
This lawsuit would cover U.S. residents and specifically those in Georgia, who bought the affected Insignia Pressure Cooker models, including NS-MC60SS8, NS-MC60SS9, NS-MC80SS9, NC-MCRP6NS9, and NS-MCRP6SS9, the plaintiff aims to address and rectify these significant safety concerns.
Our firm handles only personal injury pressure cooker lawsuits. This is a consumer class action lawsuit.
November 19, 2023 – Recall of Insignia Pressure Cookers
Last week, major retailer Best Buy announced that it was recalling Insignia brand pressure cookers sold at its stores nationwide. The recall covers about 1 million pressure cookers. The pressure cookers are being recalled in response to a stream of incident reports in which consumers have been seriously burned when the device malfunctioned and sprayed them with scalding hot water. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the problem with Insignia pressure cookers is that the fill line markings inside the pot are not accurate, leading the pots to be overfilled.
February 15, 2023 – Sunbeam Cases Consolidated
A group of pressure cooker lawsuits in Florida against Sunbeam has been consolidated in Florida state court in the Circuit Court in Palm Beach County.
January 22, 2023 – Dua Nova 80 Lawsuit
A new lawsuit was filed on January 3, 2023, against Instant Brands involving its Duo Nova 80 pressure cooker. In Summers v. Instant Brands, an Indiana plaintiff alleges serious burn injuries as the result of the Instant Pot Duo Nova’s lid being able to be rotated and opened while the pressure cooker was still under pressure. The result was the cooker’s scalding hot contents were ejected – with the force you would expect from a pressure cooker – on the plaintiff.
November 15, 2022 – New Lawsuit Involving Elite Bistro
A new lawsuit has been filed by a plaintiff who sustained injuries from an allegedly faulty Elite Bistro Pressure Cooker.
The plaintiff, a California man, was burned in November 2020 due to a pressure cooker explosion. His pressure cooker lawsuit says that while still under pressure, the cooker exploded, causing scalding contents to spill and burn him.
October 2, 2022 – Motion to Dismiss in Case Against Sunbeam
A federal judge in the Southern District of Florida partly granted and partly denied a motion to dismiss filed the defense in a product liability lawsuit regarding Sunbeam brand pressure cookers. 4 of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that they suffered serious physical injuries when their Sunbeam pressure cookers exploded. They claim the explosion was due to a design defect and have brought tort claims against Sunbeam’s parent company, Newell Brands, Inc. A group of additional plaintiffs also brought consumer claims on behalf of a nationwide class of individuals who bought Sunbeam products in several states. The judge dismissed most of the consumer class action claims but did allow the consumer claims based on breach of an express warranty to proceed.
Pressure Cooker Injury Lawsuit
Many brands of electric pressure cookers (also known as “insta pots”) have dangerous design defects that sometimes cause the device to malfunction and eject boiling liquid causing severe burns and disfigurement.
The national product liability lawyers at our firm are currently seeking new cases from individuals who have been seriously burned or injured by a defective pressure cooker device. Users who were burned or injured by an instant pressure cooker may be entitled to financial compensation. Call a pressure cooker lawyer today to see if you can file a defective pressure cooker lawsuit for the injuries you have suffered.
About Pressure Cookers
Electric pressure cookers (often called “insta pots”) have become an immensely popular kitchen device in recent years. Pressure cookers employ hot steam that is pressurized inside a sealed canister or pot to cook a variety of foods. The use of pressurized hot steam enables faster cooking time while keeping the food hydrated and tender.
Electric pressure cookers generate the hot steam through the direct application of intense heat to the liquid contents of the cooking pot (e.g., broth or water). The pot of a pressure cooker has an airtight seal so that it can serve as a pressure chamber when the heat is applied. The steam increases both the internal air pressure inside the pot and the air temperature very rapidly. This allows cooking temperatures inside the pot to rise above the normal boiling point very quickly.
Defective Design & Safety Features in Pressure Cookers
Many brands of pressure cookers have design flaws in their safety features. The liquid contents of a typical pressure cooker can reach around 250 degrees or higher, making them very capable of causing severe burns. This is why pressure cookers have numerous safety components.
The primary function of the safety features on pressure cookers is to prevent the lid from opening when the liquid contents of the pot are pressurized. Unfortunately, flaws in these features can have drastic results. Defective product designs related to these safety mechanisms have led many pressure cooker lids to malfunction and eject their boiling hot contents over anyone nearby.
Various safety features or components are defective in pressure cookers, including:
- Safety Locks on Lid: the safety lid locks on pressure cookers are supposed to prevent liquid in the pot from becoming pressurized unless and until the lid is properly secured and locked in place. Many brands have had major design problems with this safety feature.
- Pressure Valves: pressure values are used to safely depressurize the pot, but these valves can often fail to create a dangerous situation.
- Faulty Gaskets: gaskets enable the lid of the pressure cooker to form an airtight seal while the lid is closed. Defective gaskets may contribute to the lid blasting open.
Injuries Caused by Defective Pressure Cookers
When pressure cookers malfunction as a result of defective safety features, they can cause devastating physical injuries with lifelong consequences. Pressure cookers heat their liquid contents well above boiling temperature. When safety features fail these pressurized boiling liquids are ejected at high velocity over anyone and anything within a 5-10 foot radius of the pot.
The most frequent type of injury caused by defective pressure cookers is burns. Pressure cookers bring their liquid contents to temperatures well above boiling. When this boiling liquid is ejected onto the skin it can cause 3rd and 2nd-degree burns.
Severe burns are by far the most common injury alleged in defective pressure cooker product liability lawsuits. Burn injuries in defective pressure cooker cases are often especially devastating because the burns typically occur on the face and result in permanent disfigurement. The average compensation for burn injuries in a personal injury settlement is very high and facial burns with disfigurement can add additional value.
Boiling liquids ejected from a defective pressure cooker can also cause severe burns and damage to the eyes. Severe burns to the eyes from boiling liquids can cause permanent loss of vision or even blindness.
Which Pressure Cooker Brands Have Defective Safety Features?
A variety of different brands of pressure cookers have malfunctioned and resulted in product liability lawsuits. The 3 most popular pressure cooker brands that have been named in product liability lawsuits are:
- Instant Pot
- Crock Pot
- TriStar
Filing a Defective Pressure Cooker Lawsuit
Pressure cooker manufacturers have a legal duty to ensure that their products meet certain minimum safety standards. At a minimum, this means that manufacturers must ensure that their pressure cookers will not explode and cause severe burns to users. Manufacturers who breach this legal obligation by selling pressure cookers with dangerous design flaws can be liable for injuries caused by their product.
If you suffered serious injuries as a direct result of a malfunctioning pressure cooker, call a pressure cooker lawyer and see if you can file a product liability lawsuit seeking significant financial compensation.
Recent Example Pressure Cooker Lawsuit
In Randall v. SharkNinja, a plaintiff filed a pressure cooker lawsuit against a group of interrelated defendants who design, manufacture, market, import, distribute, and sell pressure cookers. The pressure cookers are advertised as “easy” and “convenient,” with the ability to cook food 70% faster than traditional cooking methods. The defendants also promote their pressure cookers as having 14 safety features that keep the user safe while cooking.
The plaintiff purchased one of the defendants’ pressure cookers – Ninja Foodi Tendercrisp Pressure Cooker, Series OP300(OP301) under the assumption that it was properly designed and manufactured, free from defects of any kind, and that it was safe for its intended, foreseeable use of cooking. But, as you see in many pressure cooker lawsuits, the lid unexpectedly exploded during ordinary use manner. The contents of the pressure cooker were forcefully ejected out of the pot and onto the plaintiff, causing severe, disfiguring burns.
The plaintiff’s suit that the pressure cooker was defectively and negligently designed and manufactured by the defendants because it failed to properly function as to prevent the lid from being removed with normal force while the unit remained pressurized, despite the appearance that all the pressure had been released, during the ordinary, foreseeable, and proper use of cooking food with the product. The plaintiff claims the reason this happened is that the pressure cookers possess defects that make them unreasonably dangerous for their intended use by the consumers because the lid can be rotated and opened while the unit remains pressurized.
The plaintiff’s pressure cooker lawsuit contends that SharkNinja’s representation about the safety of the pressure cookers is not just misleading but is also flatly wrong, putting innocent consumers like the plaintiff directly in harm’s way. According to the plaintiff, there were economic, safer alternative designs available that could have prevented the pressure cooker’s lid from being rotated and opened while pressurized. This is the crux of the concern with this pressure cooker. But profits were put ahead of safety. This is a leitmotif in virtually every pressure cooker lawsuit.
The plaintiff further alleges that the defendants intentionally concealed the defects, failed to warn consumers of such defects, made negligent misrepresentations, failed to remove a product with such defects from the stream of commerce, and designed such products. As a result, the plaintiff used an unreasonably dangerous pressure cooker that caused significant and painful bodily injuries.
Finally, the plaintiff seeks compensatory damages resulting from the use of the defendants’ pressure cooker, which has caused the plaintiff to suffer from serious bodily injuries, medical expenses, physical pain, mental anguish, diminished enjoyment of life, and other damages.
Defective Pressure Cooker Lawsuits Settlement Amounts
The potential settlement amounts for a defective pressure cooker lawsuits depends primarily on the nature and severity of the physical injuries sustained by the plaintiff. The most common type of injury caused by pressure cooker explosions are thermal burns. The settlement value of burn injuries is dependent on the severity of the burn and the location of the burn.
A typical 1st-degree burn injury in an auto accident case has an average settlement amount range between $25,000 to $75,000. These are not big claims.
More serious injuries warrant more significant settlement payouts. The average compensation payout for 3rd-degree burn injuries in auto tort cases is between $100,000 to $1,000,000. These averages are going to be slightly higher in product liability cases because the compensation value in auto cases is often limited by the amount of available insurance coverage.
The average settlement compensation payout for a defective pressure cooker lawsuit is probably around $125,000 to $200,000 for 2nd-degree burns and $600,000 to $2,000,000 for third-degree burns. Cases involving facial burning with permanent disfigurement will be at the higher end of the settlement compensation scale.
Contact Our Defective Pressure Cooker Lawyers
If you think you have a valid claim for injuries caused by a defective pressure cooker, contact us online or call for a free consultation at 800-553-8082.