Lawsuit Alleges Amazon Heating Pad Failed To Shut Off, Causing Severe Burn Injury

Complaint comes after an Amazon heating pad settlement was reached last year in a similar lawsuit, involving a woman who suffered second-degree burns from another allegedly defective product sold by the retailer.

A lawsuit by a Florida woman claims she suffered severe, disfiguring damage after the Sunbeam heating pad she bought off Amazon.com either failed to shut off as advertised or overheated, burning off one of her nipples and requiring wound care and plastic surgery.

The complaint (PDF) was filed by Judith Minch in Florida Circuit Court for Collier County on March 6. It names Amazon.com Inc., Sunbeam Products Inc. and Newell Brands Inc. as defendants.

Widely used to treat muscle soreness, joint pain and stiffness by relaxing tissues using warmth, when heating pads function properly they can help manage aches, pains and chronic discomfort. However, if they are defectively designed, lack adequate temperature controls or suffer electric failures, heating pads can become a burn injury and fire risk.

Heating pad malfunctions can expose users to excessive heat, potentially causing deep wound burns, nerve damage or tissue injuries. Sometimes these injuries can occur without immediate pain, resulting in consumers being unaware of the damage the defective heating pad is causing.

According to her lawsuit, Minch first purchased the heating pad through Amazon.com in March 2022. The Sunbeam Heating Pad XL King Size Soft Touch was advertised as having an Auto-Off feature that was supposed to automatically turn the heater off after a certain period of time.

However, Minch says that function either failed or the heating pad overheated in October 2022, resulting in a thermal injury to her left breast that caused her to lose her left nipple and areola.

The lawsuit indicates Minch had to undergo months of wound care and plastic surgery. She has suffered long-term impairment and may experience future medical complications.

“Plaintiff’s medical journey is expected to continue into the future, as she continues to suffer from great physical and emotional pain and distress and has been permanently disfigured.”

– Judith Minch v. Sunbeam Products Inc. et al

Minch presents claims of failure to warn and negligence.

Amazon Heating Pad Lawsuits

This latest claim joins a growing number of similar complaints against Amazon, indicating that the company, as a third-party seller, has a duty to provide adequate warnings to consumers about the products it sells online.

Late last year, Amazon reached a heating pad settlement agreement with plaintiff Khadija Karim, who suffered second-degree burns after the pad allegedly overheated, adhered to her, and became impossible to remove during use.

The parties informed the court of the agreement on December 17, 2025, with each side agreeing to bear its own legal expenses. However, no details on the terms of the settlement were made public.

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