Lawsuit Indicates Exploding Pressure Cooker Caused Hospitalization and Multiple Surgical Procedures

A product liability lawsuit has been filed against a CVS pharmacy in Florida, alleging that an exploding pressure cooker sold at the location left a man hospitalized and in need of multiple surgeries.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Guillermo Rigondeaux in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on April 20, presenting claims against Holiday CVS, LLC, which was doing business as Navarro Discount Pharmacy, and M.B.R. Industries, Inc., which designed, manufactured and distributed the Bene Casa Pressure Cooker involved in the accident.

Rigondeaux indicates that the pressure cooker exploded suddenly while he was using it on March 3, spraying hot liquid into his eyes, face, and torso. As a result, he required immediate hospitalization and multiple surgical procedures to treat his injuries.

The case raises allegations similar to those presented in a growing number of pressure cooker lawsuits filed in recent months against various manufacturers, including Instant Pot, Crock-Pot and others, each indicating that modern electronic devices were advertised as containing advanced safety features that were supposed to prevent pressure cookers from exploding if users attempt to remove the lid without knowing the contents are still pressurized.

The lawsuit filed by Rigondeaux indicates that the pharmacy should also be held responsible for selling a defectively designed pressure cooker, which was unreasonably dangerous and unsafe for its intended use.

“The subject Pressure Cooker was in such defective and unreasonably dangerous condition at the time it left the Defendant, CVS Navarro’s control, as well as the time when the subject accident occurred,” the lawsuit states. “At all times material, the defective and unreasonable condition of the Subject Pressure Cooker was the actual and proximate cause of the subject accident and the Plaintiff’s injuries…”

Pressure Cooker Lawsuits Over Safety Feature Failures

Modern electronic pressure cookers have become increasingly popular in recent decades, amid the introduction of products like Instant Pot, Crock-Pot, Ninja Foodi and others, which were promoted with safety features intended to address concerns about pressure cooker explosions associated with traditional stove-top devices.

However, a number of severe and debilitating injuries have been reported, where the safety features failed and allowed the lid to be removed while the contents were still cooking. Typically, this causes scalding hot food to be forcefully ejected from the exploding pressure cooker, often resulting in severe burns over large areas of the users 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.

Most recently, a massive Crock-Pot recall was issued in November 2020, impacting nearly 1 million 6-Quart Express Crock Multi-Cookers with lid locking defects, after at least 99 burn injuries were reported.