Instant Pot disfigures woman after ‘scalding’ food bursts out in Alabama, lawsuit says
A woman would prepare family meals using an Instant Pot pressure cooker until the day “scalding hot” food unexpectedly burst out and burned her, according to a federal lawsuit.
The food explosively ejected onto her, causing her lasting “disfigurement,” a complaint filed March 14 in federal court in Alabama says.
Delia Ann McGee, of Bessemer, Alabama, is suing Instant Brands, accusing the company of selling pressure cookers with dangerous defects and falsely marketing them as safe, according to the complaint.
McClatchy News contacted Instant Brands for comment on March 21 and didn’t immediately receive a response.
Instant Brands says its Instant Pots are a “cultural phenomenon and kitchen must-have.”
The company sells several Instant Pot models, including the Instant Pot IP-LUX Electric Pressure Cooker that McGee says injured her.
McGee is represented by the product liability law firm Johnson//Becker, PLLC, which has represented hundreds of clients in other pressure cooker lawsuits, a March 21 news release said.
Her lawsuit seeks to recover damages for “past, present and future physical and emotional pain” she’s experiencing, the complaint says.
Instant Brands accused of putting ‘profit ahead of safety’
According to the user manual, the product’s design is supposed to prevent consumers from lifting Instant Pot lids, which are meant to remain locked, while the cooker is pressurized, the complaint says.
“With 10 safety features built in, you can use your Instant Pot with confidence, knowing that it is not going to explode,” Instant Brands says in marketing its pressure cookers, according to the complaint.
On March 21, 2021, McGee was able to open and rotate the pressure cooker’s lid while it was pressurized — resulting in its hot contents bursting out and onto her body, the complaint says.
The lawsuit asserts McGee was unaware of how she could’ve avoided the lid’s unexpected and explosive separation from the pot.
She argues that while using her Instant Pot that day, it appeared that all the pressure had been released when she was able to lift it, the complaint says.
The complaint argues the product was “negligently” designed and Instant Brands ignored the defects to put “profit ahead of safety,” according to the complaint.
McGee is suing on a few counts, including negligence and wantonness.
The law firm representing McGee is also representing Jeffrey Frank Lewis, who says he suffered burns while using an Instant Pot, according to a March 20 Johnson/Becker PLLC news release. He filed a lawsuit against Instant Brands on March 13.
McGee’s lawsuit was first reported by AL.com.
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