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Chef Di Cucina Lawsuit: Get the Right Attorney

Pressure cookers can be a time-saving appliance, but because they cook foods quickly with high heat and pressure, they can also cause severe burns if defectively designed or manufactured. One brand of pressure cooker that has recently been linked to severe burn injuries is the Chef Di Cucina electric multi-pressure cooker.
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C.L. Mike Schmidt Published by C.L. Mike Schmidt
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If you or a loved one suffered a severe burn or other injury caused by exploding Pressure Cookers or an Instant Pot, you should contact our law firm immediately. We are actively investigating pressure cooker explosion cases in all 50 states.

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What is the Chef Di Cucina Pressure Cooker?

According to Versus, the Chef Di Cucina electric multi-pressure cooker is a versatile 6-in-1 appliance, featuring functions as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, deep fryer, rice cooker, soup cooker, and sauté/brown option [1]. The cooker’s settings include: keep warm function, slow cook function, steaming function, rice function, sauté function, and pressure cooking function.

What’s the Problem With Exploding Pressure Cookers?

Pressure cooker explosion lawsuits claim certain brands of defective pressure cookers, including the Chef Di Cucina Pressure Cooker, have faulty components that cause steam, scalding liquids, and food to explode or eject from the cooker. These electric pressure cookers have led to serious burns, scarring, and other injuries.

Injuries from Defective Pressure Cookers

  • Serious burns
  • Hot steam burns
  • Second-degree burns
  • Third-degree burns
  • Eye injuries and blindness
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Scalds
  • Permanent scarring
  • Disfigurement
  • Kitchen and/or property damage

How Do Pressure Cookers Explode?

Pressure cookers themselves don’t explode and typically aren’t harmful products. In power pressure cooker explosion lawsuits, the term “explosion” refers to the scalding foods or liquids ejected from defective pressure cookers that burn or injure nearby people. In some cases, pressure has caused pressure cooker lids to explode off pressure cookers and hit people.

Normally, safety mechanisms on pressure cookers are supposed to prevent the lid from detaching while the contents are under pressure. Pressure cooker explosion lawsuits claim that defects in safety mechanisms may allow the lid to open or detach while the food or liquid inside is still pressurized.

For example, Crock-Pot recalled about 914,000 pressure cookers in November 2020 for potential burn risk because the cooker could pressurize while the lid wasn’t fully locked. The lid could suddenly detach and put people at risk of burns from scalding liquids or foods “ejected” from the product, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Related Article: Sunbeam Crock Pot Recall Litigation

Potentially Defective Pressure Cooker Safety Features

  • Silicone rings or gaskets – Seals around the lip of the pot are supposed to keep steam and pressure from escaping. Faulty gaskets or seals may allow the lid to open despite pressure buildup.
  • Safe-lock lids – Lids that are supposed to prevent pressure from building when not properly sealed and prevent the lids from opening if the pressure hasn’t been released.
  • Sensors – Sensors keep the pressure and heat in a safe range. They usually warn people when it is too high or the cooker becomes too hot.
  • Pressure valves – More than one valve traps and allows steam and pressure to escape safely. Faulty valves may lead to unsafe build-in pressure.

Pressure Cooker Recalls

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on December 1, 1983, a recall [2] was initiated for 300,000 Alcan pressure cookers due to a problematic gasket, which permitted the cookers to be opened even when pressure was still present. This flaw resulted in at least two incidents of scald injuries.

The pressure cookers were recalled because of a faulty gasket which allows the pots to be opened while still containing pressure, CPSC said. Continued use of the pressure cookers could result in physical injury to the users. Alcan is aware of two incidents involving this pressure cooker which resulted in scald type injuries.

As stated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on June 14, 2006, QVC recalled 900 Welbilt pressure cookers following at least 37 reports of severe burns, including four cases of third-degree burns, caused by the lids of the pressure cookers opening prematurely during standard operation. [3].

QVC is voluntarily implementing this recall based on 43 reports of failure incidents, including 37 reports of burn injuries, reported by another retailer that sold the same model Welbilt electronic pressure cooker, CPSC said. 

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on December 21, 2007, more than 38,000 Manttra pressure cookers were recalled over design defects that allowed operation without proper lid sealing, leading to contents spilling out and causing burns to two consumers [4]. 

As maintained by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on February 8, 2007, HSN recalled 8,300 Bella Cucina Zip Cookers after the company received at least 8 reports of burn injuries resulting from pressure-induced expulsion of food from the cooker [5].

What to do if You’ve Suffered a Pressure Cooker Burn Injury

Steam burns can cause blisters and pain. When you inhale steam, it can cause serious breathing problems. Steam burns can be first, second, or third-degree. If you or someone else is burned by steam, remove the heat source and keep the injured area under cool, running water for at least 20 minutes.

Settlement Values

The potential settlement value of lawsuits depends primarily on the nature and severity of the physical injuries sustained by the plaintiff. The most common type of injury caused by pressure cooker explosions is thermal burns. The settlement value of burn injuries is dependent on the severity of the burn and the location where the pressure cooker explodes.

A typical 2nd-degree burn injury in an auto accident case has an average settlement value range of $25,000 to $75,000. The average compensation payout for 3rd-degree burn injuries in auto tort cases is between $100,000 to $1,000,000. These averages are going to be slightly higher in product liability cases because the compensation value in auto cases is often limited by the amount of available insurance coverage.

The average settlement compensation payout for a defective pressure cooker suit is probably around $125,000 to $200,000 for 2nd-degree burns and $600,000 to $2,000,000 for third-degree burns. Cases involving facial burning with permanent disfigurement will be at the higher end of the settlement value scale.

General Pressure Cooker Statistics:

According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the majority of pressure cooker users are over the age of 30, with 46% of injured parties between the ages of 30 and 50, and 10% between 51 and 70. In 2008, of 39 sampled cases of pressure cooker-associated emergency room visits, 17 involved injuries where the pressure cooker either exploded or liquids burst from the pot, causing burns. The remaining 22 involved contact burns or steam burns.

There have been several recalls of pressure cookers in recent years due to safety concerns, including:

  • FagorSplendid Chef: Over 400,000 were recalled from 2007-2015, with more than 70 burn injuries reported.
  • Tristar Pressure Cooker: Recall of 145,000 units in 2012 due to lid detachments caused by excess pressure buildup, resulting in 29 reports of injuries.
  • Power Pressure Cooker XL: Recall nearly 1 million cookers in 2018 due to explosion and malfunction complaints.
  • Instant Pot Gem 65: Some batches were recalled in 2018 for potential fire risk from overheating.
  • Crock-Pot Express Crock: 2019 recall of 119,000 units following 99 incidents of the lid detaching violently.

Should I Join a Class Action or File an Individual Claim?

If you are interested in receiving a refund or some financial compensation for the cost of the pressure cooker, a class action may be right for you. If you intend to be compensated for losses related to a defective pressure cooker explosion, you should consider filing an individual lawsuit claim.

Class action lawsuits are, by design, a single solution to fit all. They are the best option for a lawsuit involving a large number of people who have suffered the exact same injury or financial loss. This allows for equal distribution of settlement money among injured victims.

But, for those with the most severe injuries, a class action lawsuit may not offer a solution to the full spectrum of costs that they face as a result of their injury. Individual claims are the better choice for victims who want to be properly compensated. Individual claims create a better environment where the client is the focus and in control.

With the help of the lawyers at Schmidt & Clark, LLP, a lawsuit can yield the best result to recover damages you incurred from your accident.

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Have you or a loved one been unreasonably injured by a dangerous or defective consumer product?

Get a Free Chef Di Cucina Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Evaluation With Our Lawyers

The Product Liability Litigation Group at Schmidt & Clark, LLP law firm is an experienced team of jury trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Chef Di Cucina Pressure Cooker Lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new severe burn injury cases in all 50 states.

Free Confidential Chef Di Cucina Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Evaluation: Again, if you or a loved one suffered severe burns or other serious injuries when your pressure cooker exploded, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to financial compensation by filing a Chef Di Cucina pressure cooker lawsuit and our lawyers can help.

References:

1. https://versus.com/en/chef-di-cucina-electric-multi-pressure-cooker-6-qt-vs-elite-gourmet-platinum-pressure-cooker
2. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1983/alcans-brasilian-unit-recalling-faulty-pressure-cookers
3. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2006/electronic-pressure-cookers-sold-by-qvc-recalled-due-to-burn-hazard
4. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/pressure-cookers-recalled-by-manttra-inc-due-to-burn-hazard
5. https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/hsn-lp-recalls-bella-cucina-zip-cookers-due-to-burn-hazard

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