The plaintiff, Tabitha W., filed a class action lawsuit against Wolfgang Puck Worldwide Inc. for selling a defective “Wolfgang Puck 7 Quart 4-in-1 Pressure Cooker” on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).
Tabitha says the pressure cooker beeped at the end of its cycle, indicating that her gumbo soup was done cooking, so she unplugged it and allowed the steam to vent for 20 minutes — but when she opened the lid, boiling-hot gumbo and steam exploded out of the pot.
Wolfgang Puck 7 Quart 4-in-1 Pressure Cooker
She was rushed to the hospital for the treatment of 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns from the steam and sticky food that landed on her chest, breasts, stomach, arm, leg and foot.
The complaint states that the liquid was so hot that her oven door was shattered during the incident.
Tabitha alleges that Wolfgang Puck Worldwide is responsible for her injuries and charges the manufacturer with negligence, gross negligence, breach of warranty, and strict products liability.
Pressure cookers are small kitchen appliances that use hot steam to cook food faster and more efficiently. They save time in the kitchen, but if any part of a pressure cooker malfunctions or opens before the steam is fully vented, it can explode and severely burn anyone nearby.
This is not the first lawsuit filed over the Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker. In February 2015, a lawsuit was filed by Sharon H., a woman from Illinois who was burned by a steam explosion when she opened the lid, despite unplugging it and allowing it to vent for 20 minutes.
Lawsuits have also been filed against the manufacturers of the Tristar Power Pressure Cooker XL after dozens of reports of burn injuries, scarring, disfigurement, and property damage when it exploded.
Source: Product liability complaint alleges pressure cooker burned woman after lid, contents exploded
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