Barton Pressure Cooker Lawsuit | 2026 Latest Updates

A Louisiana woman, Shana Stewart, alleges her Barton 8 Quart Aluminum Stovetop Pressure Cooker suddenly exploded during ordinary stovetop use, splashing boiling water across her body and causing severe injuries. Stewart claims the Model 99901-H2 cooker, made by Stark Group, LLC, was defective in its construction, design and warnings. She says the explosion caused third- and fourth-degree burns requiring months of treatment. Stewart filed an individual product-liability lawsuit against Stark Group in Louisiana state court in April 2025. Stark Group removed the case to federal court in April 2026 and denies liability. No CPSC recall or multidistrict litigation exists for the product.

Latest Barton Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Updates

April 13, 2026: Case Removed to Federal Court

Stark Group, LLC filed a Notice of Removal moving Stewart v. Stark Group from the 19th Judicial District Court, Parish of East Baton Rouge (Case No. C-762461) to the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Louisiana (Case No. 3:26-cv-00392-JWD-EWD). The company cited complete diversity of citizenship between Stewart and Stark Group and said the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, denying liability for her alleged injuries.

April 25, 2025: Lawsuit Filed in Louisiana State Court

Shana Stewart filed her petition for damages against Stark Group, LLC d/b/a Stark USA d/b/a Stark Tools USA in the 19th JDC in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The petition alleged the Model 99901-H2 Barton pressure cooker had a manufacturing or design defect and inadequate warnings, seeking damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, scarring and disfigurement.

Who May Be Affected?

Barton 8 Quart Aluminum Stovetop Pressure Cooker owners who were burned by boiling water or food escaping the lid during ordinary stovetop cooking match the circumstances Stewart describes in her lawsuit. Stewart says she purchased her cooker through the Walmart App in March 2024 and used it only twice. It exploded on its third use, about 30 to 40 minutes into cooking, on April 26, 2024. An individual legal review can look at those circumstances, the product and the injury to see whether they support a claim. So anyone affected pursues a claim on their own facts, without a JPML-consolidated MDL [1] or a CPSC recall [2] behind the case.

Reported Injuries or Damages

Stewart alleges she suffered burns to her arms, chest, stomach, face and underarms rated third- and fourth-degree in places. She was first treated at Lane Regional Medical Center for burns and blisters. She began treatment at the Baton Rouge General Burn Clinic on May 1, 2024, for second- and third-degree scald burns to her face, chest and upper extremities, and continues to receive care. On June 12, 2024, her therapist recommended six months of occupational therapy at Baton Rouge General Medical Center for scar management, along with daily compression-garment wear. Her medical expenses total $5,747.99 to date. Stewart alleges her expenses will grow substantially, among 11 non-exclusive categories of damages the petition lists. Stark Group’s Notice of Removal denies that its product caused her injuries. A study of Turkish burn-center admissions (Tuzun and Tas, published 2026) found pressure-cooker burns were mostly second-degree, most often to the head, neck and chest. Delayed treatment was linked to a greater need for surgery [3]. A separate national injury-database study, based on its published abstract, estimated tens of thousands of emergency-department pressure-cooker injuries over a 17-year period, with a burning agent and the lid itself the most common causes [4].

Evidence to Preserve

Anyone considering a claim over a Barton or similar stovetop pressure cooker explosion should preserve the following evidence as soon as possible:

• The pressure cooker itself, including the lid, gasket and any loose parts, stored safely in its post-incident condition and never used again
• The original purchase record or order confirmation, such as the Walmart App receipt Stewart cites in her petition for damages
• The product’s model and date-code information, including the Model 99901-H2 designation stamped on the unit and any packaging that shows it
• Photographs of the cooker, its lid and gasket, the original packaging, and the scene where the injury happened, taken as soon as possible
• Medical records and billing statements documenting treatment, such as burn-clinic visits, occupational-therapy sessions and any prescribed compression garments or scar-management supplies
• Photographs of the injuries and any resulting scarring, taken at intervals throughout treatment so the changes over time are clearly documented and dated
• Any correspondence, receipts or claim numbers exchanged with Stark Group, Stark USA or Stark Tools USA about the product or the injury

Filing Deadlines

A Barton pressure cooker injury claim, like any product-liability case, faces a filing deadline set by state law rather than by this page. The exact date depends on where the injury happened. A claim with strong evidence can still be barred once that deadline passes, no matter how clear the defect or the injury. Some states start the clock at diagnosis rather than the incident. A lawyer familiar with Louisiana product-liability claims can confirm which deadline applies to a Barton pressure cooker case before that window closes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is There a Barton Pressure Cooker Recall?

No, there is no Barton pressure cooker recall. A September 22, 2026 search of CPSC.gov and SaferProducts.gov found no recall notice for this cooker or its manufacturer. The Stewart lawsuit is an individual product-liability case rather than a recall-driven one.

Is the Barton Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Part of a Class Action or MDL?

No, the Barton pressure cooker lawsuit is not part of a class action or MDL. The JPML’s pending-dockets report lists 166 pending MDL dockets nationwide, and none names a pressure-cooker product, so Stewart’s case proceeds as an individual lawsuit in Louisiana federal court.

Why Was the Barton Pressure Cooker Case Moved from State to Federal Court?

The Barton pressure cooker case moved from state court to federal court because Stark Group removed it under diversity jurisdiction. Stark Group is a California company, Stewart is a Louisiana resident, and her claimed damages exceed the $75,000 federal threshold.

What Legal Claims Does the Lawsuit Allege Against Stark Group?

The legal claims the lawsuit alleges against Stark Group rest on Louisiana Revised Statutes 9:2800.52, the core liability provision of the Louisiana Products Liability Act. A separate negligence claim adds that Stark Group failed to properly test the cooker before selling it.

What Damages Is Stewart Seeking in the Barton Pressure Cooker Lawsuit?

Stewart is seeking 11 categories of damages in the Barton pressure cooker lawsuit, including her medical costs and the pain, scarring and disfigurement from the burns. The list also names embarrassment, disability, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life from the injuries she says the explosion left her with.

What Causes a Pressure Cooker to Explode?

Pressure cookers can explode when the lid can be opened, or detaches, before internal steam pressure has fully vented, ejecting scalding contents onto the user. CPSC recall notices for other pressure-cooker brands describe this same lid-and-pressure mechanism, though the Barton lawsuit alleges a different, specific defect.

What Does the Research Say About Pressure Cooker Injuries?

Research on pressure-cooker injuries shows they are common and often severe. A burn-center study found delayed treatment raised the need for surgery, including escharotomy in 29.3% of cases. A national estimate from its abstract put emergency-department visits at roughly 1,667 a year from 2003 to 2019.

References

1. https://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets_By_Actions_Pending-September-1-2026.pdf
2. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13254451/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37666516/