Pressure cookers—as their name suggests—cook foods under pressure, at high temperatures. The complaint for this class action alleges that pressure cookers from Sensio, Inc. have “dangerously defective lid-locking assembl[ies]” that can allow consumers to open the lids while the contents are still under pressure.
The class for this action is all persons in the US who bought one of the following Sensio Pressure Cooker products after March 1, 2016:
- Bella 6-Quart 10 in 1 Multi Cooker
- Bella 10-Quart Digital Multi Cooker
- Bella 2-Quart Multicooker
- Bella 6-Quart 10 in 1 Programmable Multi Cooker, Stainless Steel
- Bella 8-Quart 10 in 1 Programmable Multi Cooker, Stainless Steel
- Bella Pro Series 8-Quart 10 in 1 Programmable Multi Cooker
- Bella Pro Series 6-Quart 10 in 1 Programmable Multi Cooker
- Bella 5-Quart Pressure Cooker
- Bella 8-Quart 10 in 1 Multi Cooker
A New York Subclass has also been defined for those in the above class who live in New York.
The plaintiff for this class action, Cristen Gardner, bought a Bella 8-quart pressure cooker in the summer of 2018. Before the time of this sale, the complaint alleges, Sensio knew or should have known that the lids of these cookers did not comply with safe standards for pressure cookers, but did not warn consumers or recall the pressure cookers.
On or around July 27, 2019, Gardner’s son and his girlfriend were using the pressure cooker, the complaint alleges, when they were able to open the lid while the contents of the cooker were still under pressure. The complaint claims that “its super-heated contents and steam erupted from the pressure cooker, resulting severe burns” to both of them. Page 16 of the complaint shows images of the dark red and purple burns.
Pressure cookers must adhere to safety standards, the complaint alleges, including Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) Standard 136 (8th Edition), which has also been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The complaint quotes the UL Standard 136 as saying, “When the cover is opened the maximum normal operating pressure shall be released before the fastening means is fully disengaged;” and also, “An ordinary user shall not be capable of manually defeating the holding action of the clamping device when the pressure in the cooker reaches a value that creates a risk of injury to persons.”
The complaint alleges the Bella 8-quart cooker and the other pressure cookers at issue were not submitted to UL for certification and did not meet ANSI/UL standards for pressure cooker safety.
It claims that Sensio knew or should have known that users could be seriously injured by the cookers, but nevertheless marketed the cookers as being safe. The complaint quotes Sensio as promising, “The lid automatically locks in place and only opens when pressure is released using the valve[.]”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Sensio Pressure Cookers Can Be Opened Under Pressure Complaint
June 6, 2022
Pressure cookers—as their name suggests—cook foods under pressure, at high temperatures. The complaint for this class action alleges that pressure cookers from Sensio, Inc. have “dangerously defective lid-locking assembl[ies]” that can allow consumers to open the lids while the contents are still under pressure.
Sensio Pressure Cookers Can Be Opened Under Pressure ComplaintCase Event History
Sensio Pressure Cookers Can Be Opened Under Pressure Complaint
June 6, 2022
Pressure cookers—as their name suggests—cook foods under pressure, at high temperatures. The complaint for this class action alleges that pressure cookers from Sensio, Inc. have “dangerously defective lid-locking assembl[ies]” that can allow consumers to open the lids while the contents are still under pressure.
Sensio Pressure Cookers Can Be Opened Under Pressure Complaint