Instant Pot lawsuit claims ‘defective’ product burned her

Instant Pot lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Krissy Williams filed a lawsuit against the makers of Instant Pot multi-cookers and Walmart.
• Why: She says she suffered severe burns when her allegedly defective Instant Pot Duo multi-use pressure cooker expelled scalding hot liquid during normal use.
• Where: The Instant Pot lawsuit was filed in the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County.

An Instant Pot pressure cooker allegedly caused scalding liquid to be expelled from the appliance, causing a Pennsylvania woman to suffer severe burns, according to a recent lawsuit.

Plaintiff Krissy Williams filed the Instant Pot lawsuit against Walmart and the maker of Instant Pot pressure cookers, claiming they are responsible for manufacturing and selling a defective and dangerous product.

Williams says she was using her Instant Pot pressure cooker, which she bought at Walmart, to make chicken soup in December 2021 when “suddenly, and without warning, the lid flew off and the still-pressurized contents of the subject pressure cooker erupted out of the pot onto her breasts, left arm and left side.”

As a result of the alleged Instant Pot burn, Williams says she is left with permanent physical scars and disfigurement.

Instant Pot lawsuit says defendants failed to adequately test product

Williams claims the defendants failed to conduct adequate testing of the Instant Pot pressure cookers to determine whether they posed an unreasonable risk of harm during expected use of the appliance.

The Instant Pot lawsuit points to a November 2020 recall by the Consumer Product Safety Commission of more than 900,000 Crock-Pot multi-cookers after receiving nearly 100 reports of burns caused when the pressure cooker lids detached.

Williams notes that the Instant Pot pressure cookers were not included in the recall, but she says the manufacturer knew that its Instant Pot Duo multi-use pressure cooker “had a similarly defectively designed lid locking mechanism as the recalled products.”

She says the defendants failed to warn consumers about the risks of a potential Instant Pot burn and that the product did not come with adequate instructions on how to safely use the appliance.

The Instant Pot lawsuit asserts claims for strict products liability, negligence and recklessness. Williams is seeking punitive damages from all of the named defendants.

Williams is not the first plaintiff to sue the maker of Instant Pot over allegations she was burned by the allegedly defective product. Last year, two women filed a lawsuit claiming Instant Brands knowingly sells pressure cookers with defective lids that can cause pressurized contents to explode and spew scalding hot liquid from the appliance.

Have you or someone you know experienced an Instant Pot burn? Tell us about the experience in the comments.

Williams is represented by Daniel J. Mann and Bethany R. Nikitenko of Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig LLP.

The Instant Pot burn lawsuit is Krissy Williams v. Cornell Capital LLC, et al., Case No. 231003067, in the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County.

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