FORT MYERS, Fla. – A Florida-based company continues to be sued over its line of pressure cookers, with two separate lawsuits filed in Florida federal court this month alleging the appliances have “serious and dangerous defects.”
In one lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida May 15, plaintiff Sherry Mace alleges she suffered “serious and substantial” burns as a result of defendant Tristar Products Inc.’s pressure cooker, specifically Model Number Y6D-AF-36B, or the Emeril Lagasse Pressure AirFryer Plus.
Mace, a Virginia resident, alleges her injuries occurred on or about June 12, 2023 as a result of the pressure cooker’s lid being able to be rotated and opened while it was still under pressure during its normal, directed use.
This allowed “its scalding hot contents to be forcefully ejected from the pressure cooker and onto Plaintiff,” the 10-page lawsuit states.
Mace contends the pressure cooker’s “built-in safety devices” failed. She also argues Tristar failed to redesign the pressure cooker.
“Said ‘safety devices’ include a ‘safety lid lock,’ a ‘positive pressure mechanism,’ and a ‘lid positioning sensor.’ These safety mechanisms are intended to prevent the unit from building pressure if the lid is not closed properly, as well as to prevent the lid from opening until all pressure is released,” the 10-page lawsuit explains.
However, the lid is removable with built-up pressure, heat, and steam still inside the unit, Mace’s lawsuit alleges.
“When the lid is removed under such circumstances, the pressure trapped within the unit causes the scalding hot contents to be projected from the unit and into the surrounding area, including onto the unsuspecting consumers, their families and other bystanders,” the lawsuit states.
“Defendant knew or should have known of these defects but nevertheless put profit ahead of safety by continuing to sell its pressure cookers to consumers, failing to warn said consumers of the serious risks posed by the defects, and failing to timely recall the dangerously defective pressure cookers despite the risk of significant injuries to Plaintiff and consumers like her.”
In her lawsuit, Mace also points to Tristar’s “aggressive” product marketing. The lawsuit notes that even famed chef Emeril Lagasse – known for his take on Creole cuisine and colorful, energetic personality – assures consumers in advertisements that the pressure cookers are safe.
“We’ve taken all the fright out of this, okay? Years and years ago, as you know, pressure cookers had a bad rap because … it was like a rocket ship,” Lagasse said in a Home Shopping Network ad, according to the lawsuit. “We have done with technology and… eliminated all of that stuff so that you can feel comfortable cooking all of these functions at home with the family.”
Mace, who is represented by Minnesota-based Johnson Becker, is seeking damages for her injuries and financial losses, pre- and post-judgment interest, a trial, and an award of attorneys’ fees.
In a separate lawsuit, also filed May 15 in the Florida federal court, plaintiff Anna Fujisaki made similar claims.
Fujisaki, a resident of Hawaii and who attended college in Louisiana, alleges Tristar’s Power Pressure Cooker, specifically Model Number Y10D-36, caused her “serious and substantial” injuries on or about June 23, 2023.
Like Mace, she alleges the pressure cooker’s lid was able to be rotated and opened while it was still under pressure during its normal, directed use.
“As a direct and proximate result of Defendant Tristar’s intentional concealment of such defects, its failure to warn consumers of such defects, its negligent misrepresentations, its failure to remove a product with such defects from the stream of commerce, and its negligent design of such products, Plaintiff used an unreasonably dangerous Pressure Cooker, which resulted in significant and painful bodily injuries upon Plaintiff’s simple removal of the lid of the Pressure Cooker,” the 12-page lawsuit states.
The lawsuit again points to Tristar’s product marketing, in particular claims made by “culinary expert” Eric Theiss, who is featured in many of the company’s YouTube videos and its infomercials.
“I have seriously never seen a cook tool so easy, so versatile, so affordable that anyone can make quality, delicious meals, perfectly cooked from the very first time! The Perfect Cooker is the one pot that does it all!” Theiss said in an infomercial, according to Fujisaki’s lawsuit.
In one YouTube video, according to the lawsuit, Theiss states that “when your pressure cooker is up to pressure, the lid locks on. I couldn’t get this lid open if I wanted to. There’s no way you’re gonna open it. So, it’s loaded with safety devices, you guys. So, if you’ve never used a pressure cooker before, this is one of the safest ones you can get.”
Fujisaki also is represented by Johnson Becker. She, too, is seeking damages for her injuries and financial losses, pre- and post-judgment interest, a trial, and an award of attorneys’ fees.
According to the St. Paul-based firm’s website, its lawyers have represented more than 700 people in more than 40 states who have been “severely burned” by pressure cookers in the last four years.
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https://www.johnsonbecker.com/product-liability/pressure-cooker-lawsuit/
