Crock-Pot Express Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Alleges Defective Lid Caused Severe Burn Injuries

Pressure cooker lawsuits allege defective safety systems may allow device lids to open while the appliances remain dangerously pressurized, exposing users to scalding-hot food, liquid and steam.

A Michigan woman has filed a product liability lawsuit alleging she suffered severe burns to her body after a defective Crock-Pot pressure cooker malfunctioned and exploded during normal use.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Delphine Belcher in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on September 2, naming Sunbeam Products Inc. and Newell Brands Inc. as defendants.

Belcher claims the manufacturers knew about defects in the electric pressure cooker’s design, yet allowed the product to remain on the market despite the risk of consumer injuries.

Electric Pressure Cooker Injuries

Crock-Pot pressure cookers are electric appliances that use steam confined inside a sealed cooking chamber to generate high pressure and temperatures that cook food quickly. Since the food and liquid inside can become extremely hot, the devices are generally equipped with safety systems intended to keep the lid locked until pressure has been safely released.

However, a series of pressure cooker lawsuits allege those safeguards can fail, permitting the lid to be turned or removed while the appliance remains dangerously pressurized.

If the lid opens prematurely, the remaining pressure may cause superheated food, liquid and steam to erupt from the cooker and strike users or bystanders. The resulting accidents can cause serious burns to the face, chest, arms and hands, potentially requiring hospitalization, skin grafts and extensive medical care.

Crock-Pot Injury Allegations

According to the lawsuit, Belcher was using the Crock-Pot Express Crock Multicooker to prepare food on September 18, 2024, when the lid allegedly opened while the appliance remained pressurized. The pressure cooker then forcefully ejected scalding-hot food and liquid onto Belcher’s body, causing serious burn injuries.

Belcher claims Sunbeam marketed the Crock-Pot pressure cooker as being designed with safety in mind and represented that it featured sensors and other safeguards intended to prevent the lid from opening while the appliance was pressurized. The company also allegedly maintained that once pressure increased inside the cooker, the lid could not be opened until that pressure was released.

However, Belcher argues the Crock-Pot contained a design defect that allowed users to open the lid while dangerous pressure remained inside. She claims Sunbeam and Newell Brands knew or should have known about the problem but continued selling the pressure cookers without adequately addressing the safety risk.

The lawsuit also alleges the manufacturers received more than 100 reports involving Crock-Pot lid detachments and associated injuries but failed to adequately warn consumers about the defect.

“Further, Defendants’ representations about ‘safety’ are not just misleading, they are flatly wrong and put innocent consumers like Plaintiff directly in harm’s way.”

— Delphine Belcher v. Sunbeam Products Inc. et al.

The complaint raises allegations of strict products liability, negligence, breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose and breach of implied warranty of merchantability. It seeks compensation for serious bodily injuries, medical expenses, physical pain, mental anguish, diminished enjoyment of life, economic losses and other damages.

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