Chef’s Mark Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Filed After Built Up Pressure Exploded When Lid Removed

A Georgia man has filed a product liability lawsuit after his Chef’s Mark pressure cooker exploded, causing scalding hot contents to burn his body when built up pressure inside the pot was suddenly released as the lid was removed.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by David Wayne Yeoman, Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on July 3, pursuing damages from the manufacturer of the Chef’s Mark Pressure Cooker, Bluestem Brands, Inc., doing business as Fingerhut, for selling an unreasonably dangerous and defective product, which lacked adequate safety features.

Yeoman indicates he suffered painful injuries in late July 2021, when the device failed to prevent the lid from being removed while the contents were still pressurized, causing the Chef’s Mark pressure cooker lid to explode off, forcefully ejecting the scalding hot contents.

According to the lawsuit, the owner’s manual claimed the pressure cooker had advanced safety features, which misleads consumers into believing the pressure cooker is safe for normal use.

“However, the aforementioned pressure cooker was defectively and negligently designed and manufactured by the Defendant in that 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 lawsuit states. “Defendant’s pressure cookers possess defects that make them unreasonably dangerous for their intended use by consumers because the lid can be rotated and opened while the unit remains pressurized.”

Yeoman presents claims of defective design, defective manufacturer, failure to warn, and negligence.

Pressure Cooker Explosion Lawsuits

Yeoman’s complaint raises allegations similar to those presented in a growing number of pressure cooker lawsuits filed in recent months, each pointing to design problems with many modern electronic pressure cookers, including Ninja Foodi, Instant Pot, Crock Pot and others, which were sold without available safety features that could prevent the lid from being removed while built up pressure remained inside the pot.

Modern electronic pressure cookers have become popular in recent decades, amid marketing that has promoted advanced features that were supposed to prevent pressure cooker explosions that have plagued older, stove-top designs. Products have been marketed under a number of brand names, through social media, websites and home shopping stations.

Most of the problems involve similar pressure cooker burn injuries which occurred after the lid exploded off while the contents were still pressurized, typically resulting in burns covering a large percentage of the user’s body. However, other injuries linked to pressure cookers have included eye injuries, broken bones and other complications that resulted from electrocutions, spills or explosions.

As more of these electric pressure cookers have been introduced in recent years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued several pressure cooker recalls over problems where lids were able to be opened while contents are under pressure, allowing hot contents to be expelled and causing a scald or burn injury to individuals in the immediate area.