Gourmia Pressure Cooker Lawsuit | 2026 Latest Updates

Gourmia Pressure Cookers are six-quart digital pressure cookers. The Steelstone Group, LLC imports and sells them. Several users say the lid opened while the pot was still pressurized. Hot contents sprayed out and caused severe burns. A federal product-liability lawsuit accuses the company of selling a defective pressure cooker with weak warnings. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned consumers in February 2026 to stop using the cookers. An individual lawsuit is pending in federal court in New York against The Steelstone Group, LLC, after the importer and retailer turned down a recall. No class action or multidistrict case has been filed over this product.

Latest Gourmia Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Updates

February 24, 2026: CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using Gourmia Pressure Cookers

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a Product Safety Warning for Gourmia Pressure Cookers, Model GPC625. The Steelstone Group, LLC imports and sells them [1]. The importer and retailer, Best Buy, had declined the recall CPSC wanted. The warning, No. 26-280, is dated February 24, 2026. CPSC urged consumers to stop using the roughly 43,500 affected units right away. It said to dispose of them and report any incident to SaferProducts.gov.

May 22, 2024: Court Denies Default Judgment Motion in Steelstone Case

In Guerra v. The Steelstone Group, LLC, a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York denied plaintiff Melissa Guerra’s third motion for default judgment. The judge found the complaint had not properly pleaded proximate cause. The court ordered Guerra to file an amended complaint by June 5, 2024. It barred any further default-judgment motions on the current pleading.

November 28, 2022: Guerra Sues Steelstone Group over Pressure Cooker Burns

Plaintiff Melissa Guerra filed a product-liability complaint against The Steelstone Group, LLC. She filed it in the same federal court. She alleges she suffered serious burns on or about December 9, 2019, while using a Gourmia pressure cooker. The complaint raises claims of strict liability and negligence. It also raises negligent design defect, negligent failure to warn, and breach of warranty. It seeks damages for her injuries.

Who May Be Affected?

A person who used a Gourmia digital pressure cooker, Model GPC-655, and was burned when hot contents escaped while the lid was opened under pressure has circumstances the Guerra lawsuit describes. Gourmia pressure cookers were sold between 2017 and 2020 at Best Buy, other retailers, and online marketplaces, for between $50 and $80. The relevant window covers purchases and injuries in that period. A household member who was nearby when the contents escaped, or anyone who matches these circumstances, would need an individual legal review to confirm relevance. No multidistrict litigation has formed for pressure cookers. The JPML‘s pending-MDL list does not include a Gourmia or pressure-cooker case [2]. Anyone affected would join an individual claim rather than a group case.

Reported Injuries or Damages

CPSC has received five reports of incidents. In each, hot contents were expelled under pressure from Gourmia pressure cookers. Four of the five reports involved severe burn injuries. Separately, Melissa Guerra’s own lawsuit describes a burn. She says it happened in December 2019 while she used one of the cookers. These are two distinct sets of reports. A retrospective study of a tertiary burn center looked at pressure-cooker burns. Most were second-degree injuries to the head, neck, and chest. A delayed hospital visit was linked to a greater need for surgery [3]. Reports of an incident or a lawsuit’s claims are not proof. They do not show that a defect caused a particular injury.

Recall and Regulatory Background

CPSC says the hazard is a float valve inside the handle that is hard to see, so consumers may think the cooker has vented when it has not. The inner pot’s volume markings are also incorrect, which can let hot contents escape when the lid is opened or the unit is vented. This is a warning, a step short of a recall, as detailed in the February 2026 update above. The consumer instructions CPSC issued with this warning appear above and explain how to report an incident.

Evidence to Preserve

Preserving these can help support a Gourmia pressure cooker burn claim:

• The pressure cooker itself, including its model number and date code
• Purchase or order records showing when and where it was bought
• Photos of the injury and of the product as it was left after the incident
• Medical records and bills related to treatment for the burn
• Written messages with Best Buy or Gourmia/The Steelstone Group about the incident
• A written timeline of what happened, in order, while memory is fresh

Keep these records together. Do not throw away the pressure cooker. This preserves evidence a lawyer or an expert may need to review later.

Filing Deadlines

Deadlines for filing a pressure-cooker burn injury claim against a company such as The Steelstone Group are set by state law. The deadline depends on where the person lives and when the injury, and sometimes the diagnosis, happened. Some states start the clock at diagnosis rather than the injury date. Missing a filing deadline can end a claim, even when the facts are strong. So it is worth checking with a lawyer soon.

Potential Compensation

Damages in a pressure cooker burn case can include several categories. These include medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. They can also include permanent scarring or impairment, depending on the facts of the case. No verdict or settlement has been publicly confirmed in a lawsuit against The Steelstone Group or Gourmia. No dollar figure applies to this case. Compensation amounts vary by case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Potential compensation, if any, would come only through Melissa Guerra’s own lawsuit against The Steelstone Group.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Portion of Pressure Cooker Burns Are Second-Degree?

Most pressure cooker burns are second-degree. The 2026 burn-center study found 92.7% of the burns it reviewed were second-degree, and 2.4% of patients needed skin grafting for their wounds.

What Should I Do If My Gourmia Pressure Cooker Injured Me?

If a Gourmia pressure cooker injured you, stop using the unit right away. Seek medical care if the burn is serious. Keep the cooker instead of throwing it away. Photograph the injury and the product, save purchase records, and speak with a lawyer about your options.

Are There Other Lawsuits Against the Steelstone Group over Pressure Cookers?

Yes, other lawsuits exist against The Steelstone Group over pressure cookers. Court records show a similar case, Colledge v. Steelstone Grp., LLC, No. 22-CV-2873, filed against the same company. The Guerra court’s own order names it as a similarly situated case.

What Does the Research Say About Pressure Cooker Burn Injuries?

The research on pressure cooker burn injuries says they are usually serious. A burn-center study of 41 patients found most were adult women. Burns were often on the head, neck, or chest, and escharotomy was needed in 29.3% of cases.

How Many Total Burn Admissions Did the Pressure Cooker Study Review?

The pressure cooker burn study reviewed 3,410 total burn-center admissions. It found the head and neck (65.9%) and the chest (61%) were the body areas most often burned in pressure-cooker cases.

Can a Pressure Cooker Burn Become Infected?

Yes, a pressure cooker burn can become infected. In the same 2026 burn-center study, wound cultures came back positive for bacteria in 7.3% of the patients. All had the same organism, Staphylococcus epidermidis.

References

1. https://www.cpsc.gov/Warnings/2026/CPSC-Warns-Consumers-to-Immediately-Stop-Using-Gourmia-Pressure-Cookers-Due-to-Serious-Burn-Hazard-Multiple-Burn-Injuries-Reported-Majority-Sold-at-Best-Buy
2. https://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets_By_Actions_Pending-September-1-2026.pdf
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13254451/