Lawsuit Information Center
Many brands of electric pressure cookers, commonly referred to as “Insta Pots,” have dangerous design flaws that can cause the device to malfunction and eject boiling liquid, leading to severe burns and disfigurement.
Our national product liability lawyers are actively seeking new cases from individuals who have been seriously burned or injured by a defective pressure cooker. If you have been harmed by an instant pressure cooker, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Contact a pressure cooker lawyer today to determine if you can file a lawsuit for the injuries you have suffered.
How Pressure Cookers Work
Pressure cookers are kitchen appliances designed to cook food quickly using high-pressure steam. They consist of a sealed pot with a locking lid and a pressure valve. When the liquid inside the pot is heated, it produces steam, which increases the pressure and temperature inside the pot. This high-pressure environment cooks food faster than traditional methods while retaining moisture and nutrients.
There are two main types of pressure cookers:
Stovetop Pressure Cookers: These are placed on a stovetop burner and manually controlled by adjusting the heat. They are typically more durable and can reach higher pressures than electric models.
Electric Pressure Cookers: These are self-contained units with built-in heating elements and electronic controls. They often come with multiple cooking functions, such as slow cooking, sautéing, and steaming, making them versatile kitchen appliances.
Most pressure cookers used in kitchens today are electric pressure cookers. Electric pressure cookers have actually become very popular in recent years, with various brands coming out with their own models. The Instant Pot is probably the most well-known brand of electric pressure cookers.
Design Flaws Make Pressure Cookers Dangerous
Pressure cookers can be potentially dangerous and for very obvious reasons. These handy little appliances can rapidly heat liquid in their pots to temperatures over 250 degrees. Water at that temperature can cause severe burns. What is even more potentially hazardous is that this scalding hot liquid is pressurized, so any leak or crack and it will shoot out.
To accomplish this primary goal, pressure cookers are equipped with multiple safety components and design features. Of these design features are intended to prevent the ultra-hot pressurize liquid in the pot from shooting out and burning anyone in its path. That is there 1 and only objective.
To accomplish this goal, most safety features are aimed at preventing the lid from opening while the pot is pressurized. However, defects in these features can lead to severe consequences. Faulty designs related to these safety mechanisms have caused many pressure cooker lids to malfunction, ejecting their boiling contents and severely burning anyone nearby.
Design flaws in pressure cooker safety features tend to fall into one of three categories:
- Faulty Pressure Check Valves: the pressure valve is very important because it is the party of the device that enables pressure to be released and the pot to depressurize slowly, without a dangerous blowout. The problem is that one small flaw in the design or manufacturing process with this critical part can lead to disaster.
- Poorly Designed Safety Locks: Pretty much every brand and model of pressure cooker has some type of safety lock feature. Their function is to prevent the lid from simply popping off if the device is moved, or jolted, or someone attempts to open the lid with the contents are under pressure. Flawed safety lock design are a major cause of pressure cooker injuries.
- Bad Gaskets: The gasket is a circular rubber ring that enables the pressure cooker to create an airtight seal. If the gasket is defective or poorly designed it can result in a blowout and cause injuries.
Pressure Cookers Can Cause Very Serious Injuries
When pressure cookers malfunction due to defective safety features, they can cause devastating physical injuries with lifelong consequences. These appliances heat their liquid contents well above boiling temperatures. When safety features fail, the pressurized boiling liquids can be ejected at high velocity, affecting anyone and anything within a 5-10 foot radius.
The most common injury resulting from defective pressure cookers is burns. The high-temperature liquids can cause second and third-degree burns when they come into contact with skin. Severe burns, especially those on the face, are frequently cited in product liability lawsuits involving defective pressure cookers and often lead to permanent disfigurement. Consequently, the average compensation for burn injuries in personal injury settlements is typically very high, with facial burns and disfigurement increasing the potential value of the claim.
Additionally, boiling liquids ejected from a defective pressure cooker can cause severe burns and damage to the eyes, potentially leading to permanent vision loss or blindness.
Pressure Cooker Product Liability Lawsuits
Pressure cooker manufacturers have a legal duty to ensure their products meet minimum safety standards. This includes ensuring that their pressure cookers do not explode and cause severe burns to users. Manufacturers who fail to meet this obligation by selling pressure cookers with dangerous design flaws can be held liable for injuries caused by their products.
If you have suffered serious injuries due to a malfunctioning pressure cooker, contact a pressure cooker lawyer to determine if you can file a product liability lawsuit and seek significant financial compensation.
Pressure Cooker Brands Named in Lawsuits
These are the most common pressure cooker explosion lawsuit defendants:
| Instant Brands | NuWave LLC | Sunbeam Products (Crock Pot) |
| Costway | Maxi-Matic U.S.A., Inc. | Midea America Corp. |
| Amazon | Best Buy | Tristar Products |
| Pick Five Imports, Inc. | Wolfgang Puck | Cuisinart |
| Presto | Ninja | Instant Pot |
What Are the Ingredients of a Strong Pressure Cooker Lawsuit?
Not every pressure cooker injury is a viable lawsuit. Strong claims typically share the following elements:
- Documented Serious Injury: Medical records showing severe burns, disfigurement, or related injuries caused by the pressure cooker malfunction. Lawyers are not filing these lawsuit for minor injuries.
- Defective Product: Evidence that the pressure cooker had a design or manufacturing flaw, such as faulty safety locks, pressure valves, or gaskets.
- Manufacturer’s Negligence: Proof that the manufacturer was aware of the product’s defect but failed to warn consumers or issue a timely recall.
- Compliance with Instructions: Confirmation that the device was used correctly according to its manual.
Pressure Cooker Injury Lawsuits Usually Result in Settlement
Hundreds of pressure cooker product liability injury lawsuits have been filed across the country over the last few years. These lawsuits have been filed against over a dozen different brands and manufacturers, although they all allege similar product defects and injuries.
The overwhelming majority of these pressure cooker injury lawsuits have been resolved by out of court settlements. In fact, as far as we are aware no pressure cooker product liability case has ever gone to trial. Why? The reason the manufacturers prefer to settle these cases quickly and quietly is because they don’t want their products to be viewed as potentially dangerous, which would deter consumers from buying them.
Unfortunately, we don’t know what pressure cooker injury lawsuits are settling for. The amount of the pressure cooker injury settlements are strictly confidential and the plaintiffs who accept settlements are required to sign confidentiality agreements. We can say, however, that the settlement payouts are pretty high, otherwise you wouldn’t see such a high rate of the cases settling
Estimated Settlement Value of Pressure Cooker Lawsuits
The potential settlement value of an individual pressure cooker injury lawsuit will depend on various factors, but the most significant factor will be the nature and severity of the plaintiff’s injuries. In almost all of the pressure cooker product liability cases, the plaintiffs are alleging burn injuries caused by the scalding liquid shooting out of the device.
The settlement value of burn injuries are based on the severity of the burns (1st degree burns are less severe than 3rd degree burns), and how much skin tissue was burned. For example, a case involving 1st degree burns over just 10% of the body will have a much lower settlement value compared to a case where the plaintiff suffered 3rd degree burns over 20% of the body. The location of the burns will also be a factor. Facial burns that leave the plaintiff disfigured will significantly increase the settlement value.
Our lawyers estimate that pressure cooker injury cases in the top settlement tier (i.e., those with the most severe types of injuries) could have a potential settlement value of $450,000 to $1,000,000. A few select cases may have an even higher settlement value due to aggravating factors, such as a very young girl who suffers facial disfigurement from burns. Pressure cooker cases with injuries in the second tier could have an average payout value of $75,000 to $350,000. Finally, cases in the bottom tier (i.e., those involving only minor burn injuries) will likely have a settlement value of $50,000 or less.
Pressure Cooker Lawsuit News and Updates
December 2024: Two pieces of news this month. This litigation has really found new energy in recent months.
$55 Million Verdict
This new energy we are talking about will be force multiplied by a new huge verdict. A Colorado federal jury has awarded $55.5 million in damages to a Denver woman who suffered severe burns when her Sunbeam pressure cooker exploded, though the jury determined she was 10% responsible for the incident.
After a weeklong trial, the jury found Sunbeam Products Inc., doing business as Jarden Solutions, and its parent company, Newell Brands Inc., liable for the injuries sustained by by the plaintiff. The incident occurred on June 3, 2019, when food burst from the plaintiff’s Express Crock Multi-Cooker, leaving her with second- and third-degree burns on 13% of her body. She required extensive skin grafts and continues to face difficulties regulating her body temperature due to damaged sweat glands.
The jury awarded the plaintiff $3.5 million for noneconomic damages and $2 million for physical impairment. It also sent a loud message of anger at how this pressure cooker was made and marketed—$50 million in punitive damages—$15 million against Sunbeam and $35 million against Newell. It assigned responsibility as follows: 63% to Newell, 27% to Sunbeam, and 10% to the plaintiff.
The case highlighted safety concerns surrounding the product. Nearly one million units of the SCCPPC600V1 model were recalled in November 2020 after reports of lid detachment and burns. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission documented 99 burn injuries from 119 incidents involving the cooker. Plaintiffs’ pressure cooker attorneys argued the manual misrepresented the product’s safety features, including claims that pressure would not build if the lid were improperly sealed
New Lawsuit
A new pressure cooker injury lawsuit was filed this week in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiff was seriously injured when the lid of her Crock-Pot Express Crock Multicooker malfunctioned causing scalding hot liquid to spray out of the device. The Crock-Pot Express Crock Multicooker was actually recalled by the CPSC back in November 2020 after over 100 reported incidents of lid malfunction.
November 2024: In a new lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, an Ohio woman alleges significant injuries caused by an Elite Platinum 8-Quart Digital Electric Pressure Cooker, manufactured and marketed by Pick Five Imports, Inc., doing business as Maxi-Matic U.S.A., Inc., and unnamed defendants. The suit claims the pressure cooker was defectively designed, allowing its lid to detach under pressure, resulting in the release of scalding contents.
The incident occurred in Dearborn, Michigan, where Allen was using the device to prepare a meal when the lid allegedly exploded off the cooker, ejecting hot liquid and food onto her. She sustained second- and third-degree burns across her face, neck, arms, torso, and foot. These were awful burns. Emergency care and subsequent treatment at a Detroit area burn center were required, followed by further medical care when she went back to Ohio. Of course, the injuries of this magnitude caused permanent physical and emotional damage.
Her pressure cooker burn lawsuit contends the product’s safety features were misrepresented as preventing lid detachment under pressure. The complaint asserts multiple causes of action, including negligence, failure to warn, design defects, and breaches of warranty. The lawsuit also alleges the company prioritized profits over consumer safety by continuing to market and sell the pressure cooker despite its known risks. She seeks compensatory and exemplary damages exceeding $75,000 for her injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, and diminished quality of life.
According to the complaint, the lid failed to function properly, allowing it to be rotated and opened while the device was still under pressure. This failure allegedly caused the cooker’s scalding contents to eject, resulting in severe injuries to the plaintiff.
NuWave has marketed its Nutri-Pot as “one of the best and safest on the market,” emphasizing its proprietary Sure-Lock System. The company claims that the system prevents the lid from opening until all pressure is released, boasting that if “all the steam’s not out, you’re not opening this unit.” NuWave also highlights additional safety features, presenting the product as engineered to ensure user safety.
The allegations in this case challenge those claims, suggesting a fundamental failure of the device’s much-touted safety features. The plaintiff specifically alleges that the Sure-Lock System did not perform as promised, allowing a dangerous release of pressure and superheated contents.
September 2024: With increasing filings across multiple states, discussions about the potential for consolidated litigation or MDL proceedings have surfaced. Some plaintiffs’ attorneys are advocating for centralization to streamline discovery and coordinate claims about similar defects across various manufacturers. This approach could allow for faster resolutions and more consistent outcomes for victims. The downside? There are a lot of manufacturers and the processes are all very different
August 2024: A San Antonio, Texas, woman filed a lawsuit against Amazon and Midea America Corp. The plaintiff alleges that an “Instant Pot Duo” pressure cooker, purportedly designed and manufactured by the defendants, was defectively constructed, leading to injuries. Instant Brands, the manufacturer of the Instant Pot, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2023. So that leaves Amazon and Midea as the deep pockets that could pay a settlement or verdict.
June 2024: Tristar Products, which is a major manufacturer of pressure cookers, recently tried to get a pressure cooker product liability lawsuit against it dismissed on the grounds that the dispute was subject to arbitration. Tristar argued that all of its pressure cooker devices contain an “arbitration agreement” inside the box along with the product manual. Amazingly, lawyers for Tristar claimed that included this unilateral agreement in the product box meant that purchasers agreed to waive their right to a jury trial in favor of arbitration. Not surprisingly, a federal judge flatly rejected that argument, explaining that customers did not actually assent to the arbitration agreement.
March 2024: A new pressure cooker injury lawsuit was filed in federal against NuWave LLC alleging that the company’s NuWave Nutri-Pot 6Q Digital Pressure Cooker was defective. Specifically, the lawsuit claimed that the device’s “Sure-Lock Safety System” was defectively designed and that defect caused the lid to blow off resulting in serious injuries to a Maryland woman.
January 2024: Best Buy and Midea America Corp. were named as defendants in a recently filed pressure cooker injury lawsuit involving an Insignia brand electric pressure cooker. The specific model named in the complaint was the Insignia 8 Qt Multi-Function Pressure Cooker. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Minnesota, claimed that defects in the device design caused it to explode resulting in major facial burns.
December 2023: A new pressure cooker consumer fraud lawsuit was filed in California. The lawsuit alleges that Maxi-Matic USA, Inc. violated California consumer protection laws by making various misrepresentations about the safety of its Elite Bistro brand electric pressure cookers. The lawsuit was filed as a state class action and seeks economic damages on behalf of all consumer in California that purchased the devices.
August 2023: A consumer class action was filed in federal court seeking compensation for all consumers who purchased Instant Pot pressure cookers. The class action seeks economic damages in the form of partial refunds for Instant Pot purchasers on the grounds that the devices have fault safety features which make them unreasonably dangerous.
Contact Us About Pressure Cooker Lawsuits
Contact our national pressure cooker injury lawyers today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.