$9M Verdict in Crock Pot Multi-Cooker Lawsuit Challenged by Sunbeam

Manufacturer of a Crock Pot Multi-Cooker that exploded argues in post-trial motions that the jury was prejudiced by images of pressure cooker burns, which included victims other than the plaintiff.

Sunbeam is seeking to overturn a $9 million verdict returned by a jury in a Crock Pot Multi-Cooker explosion lawsuit, claiming that jurors were unfairly shown graphic images of injuries suffered by other users of the pressure cooker, who were not parties to the case.

The complaint (PDF) was originally brought by Georgina Perez in June 2023, naming Sunbeam Products, Newell Brands, Inc. and Target Corporation as defendants over burn injuries she suffered four years earlier, when her Crock-Pot Express Multi-Cooker exploded after the lid came off while intense pressure was still built up inside the device.

According to evidence presented at trial, design defects caused Perez to suffer pressure cooker burn injuries that covered 13% of her body, requiring extensive skin grafts. In addition, she suffered damage to her sweat glands, making it difficult for her to regulate body temperature.

Federal Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Verdict

In December, a Colorado jury awarded the Denver woman $55.5 million in damages, including $2 million for physical impairment, $3.5 million for noneconomic damages, as well as punitive damages of $15 million against Sunbeam and $35 million against Newell. The jury found Sunbeam 27% responsible for Perez’s injuries, Newell 63% responsible, and Perez only 10% responsible.

In May, Chief U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer reduced the punitive damage award, citing Colorado’s cap on non-economic damages, which lowered the total award to just over $9 million.

The trial was one of a growing number of pressure cooker lawsuits currently being prepared to go before juries, and was closely watched as a bellwether to determine how juries may respond to similar claims filed in courts nationwide against Sunbeam and the makers of other popular pressure cookers, such as Instant Pots and Ninja Foodi devices. 

Each of the claims allege that the manufacturers made false and misleading marketing statements and sold pressure cookers with dangerous design defects, including lids that can release while the contents are still under pressure, making the devices unsafe.

In June, Sunbeam filed a motion (PDF) appealing the verdict in Colorado federal court, seeking a new trial or a summary judgment ruling in their favor, despite the findings of the jury.

The manufacturer’s attorneys claim that plaintiff counsel inappropriately showed the jury photos and videos of other pressure cooker explosion burn victims at trial, indicating that the images were not submitted previously as evidence and prejudiced the jury.

Defendants also claim the introduction of other pressure cooker explosions was inappropriate and that the jury should not have been told there was a Crock-Pot recall 18 months later after similar incidents, claiming the recall “had no relevance to the issues before the jury.”

Sunbeam alleges that showing the jury the pictures triggered a “reptile response” causing their brains to focus on survival and danger responses instead of sound judgment. They also argued that a testing video conducted by Sunbeam employees, where the lid exploded just like with Perez, should not have been shown to the jury, and that the court should have excluded testimony from some of the plaintiffs’ expert witnesses.

On July 17, plaintiffs lawyers filed a response (PDF) to the motion, saying the Court allowed them to introduce the images during the opening arguments, and told the jury they were not to be considered as evidence. They noted that the images were of other victims of Crock-Pot explosions.

“At the outset, Plaintiff notes the lack of binding authority cited by Defendants in support of their argument that the admission of the Recall warrants a new trial. Defendants cannot cite to any binding precedent because Colorado law unequivocally allows for the admission of the Recall into evidence.”

-Georgina Perez, Plaintiff’s Response to Defendant’s Motion for a New Trial and Judgment as a Matter of Law

They also noted that there is no precedent under which the Crock-Pot recall could have been excluded as evidence. The response requests that the verdict be allowed to stand.

Pressure Cooker Lawsuits

Crock-Pot is not the only pressure cooker linked to explosions. In 2023, a Best Buy Insignia pressure cooker recall was announced for nearly 1 million devices, and a Sensio pressure cooker recall pulled about 900,000 devices off store shelves. Both were linked to pressure cooker explosions caused by failures of the lid safety designs.

Given design problems linked to products sold by various manufacturers, including Ninja Foodi, Instant Pot and others, financial compensation may be available to those who have suffered injuries due to pressure cooker explosions. 

Pressure cooker injury lawyers provide free consultations to help determine whether individuals nationwide are eligible to pursue a lawsuit.

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