NuWave Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Claims Safety System Failure Caused Severe Burns

Lawsuit alleges NuWave falsely promoted Nutri-Pot’s safety features, while concealing defects that allow the lid to open while device remains pressurized.

An Illinois woman has filed a lawsuit alleging she suffered severe burn injuries that required skin grafts and hospitalization after a defective NuWave Nutri-Pot pressure cooker opened while still pressurized.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Tanieka Manoloff in the U.S. District Court of Illinois on June 4, naming NuWave LLC as the defendant.

The NuWave Nutri-Pot Digital Pressure Cooker is a consumer kitchen appliance that uses high pressure to rapidly cook food. Like many other modern electronic pressure cookers, it is designed with a lid safety system that is intended to prevent the lid from being removed while the device remains under pressure.

When a pressure cooker lid opens before internal pressure has been released, superheated steam, liquid and food can erupt from the pot with tremendous force. Users standing near the appliance may have little time to react, often suffering burns to their face, arms, chest or other exposed areas.

In light of such concerns, the design of these products’ safety systems have become the focus in a growing number of pressure cooker lawsuits filed in recent years, as consumers claim manufacturers overstated the reliability of safety locks on electronic models. While the appliances have become increasingly popular for fast, convenient cooking, lawsuits and recalls have raised concerns that some devices may still allow the lid to open during use, causing explosions that spray scalding contents onto users.

Pressure Cooker Burn Injury Allegations

According to Manoloff’s lawsuit, she was using her NuWave pressure cooker on September 7, 2025, when she was able to open the lid while the device was still under pressure.

The complaint indicates the lid’s Sure-Lock Safety System feature failed due to a design defect. As a result, she suffered severe second- and third-degree burns to her torso and breast, which required extensive medical treatment, hospitalization and surgical intervention, including a skin graft procedure.

Manoloff states that NuWave aggressively markets the pressure cooker for its safety features, and claims the lid cannot be opened while in use or while there is built up pressure in the device.

She goes on to claim the company knew or should have known about the design defect, yet continued to sell the product and failed to warn consumers or issue a recall. Instead, the defective Sure-Lock Safety System allowed the pressure cookers to be opened and spew scalding contents onto users.

The filing also alleges NuWave failed to redesign the pressure cooker and failed to properly test it despite claiming “safety is a core value” of the company.

“Defendant ignored and/or concealed its knowledge of these defects in its pressure cookers from the Plaintiff in this case, as well as the public in general, in order to continue generating a profit from the sale of said pressure cookers, demonstrating a callous, reckless, willful, depraved indifference to the health, safety and welfare of Plaintiff and consumers like her.”

— Tanieka Manoloff v. NuWave LLC

The complaint raises allegations of strict liability, negligence, breach of express warranty and breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose. Manoloff is seeking compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement and loss of enjoyment of life.

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