Shoppers have access to millions of items across Walmart stores nationwide and on its website. But with that many products for sale, some are bound to be found lacking—or worse. Back in February, Walmart customers were warned about certain recalled candles, and just this month, bunk beds and tahini sold by the retailer were subject to recall. Now, Walmart is facing a lawsuit over a product that complainants are alleging caused "painful injuries." Read on to learn more about the pressure cooker the company is being sued for selling.
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Walmart is facing a lawsuit over a pressure cooker.
On May 4, two Ohio residents filed a product liability lawsuit against Walmart in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The plaintiffs, Skyy Williams and Jaylon Reed, have presented claims against Walmart, Inc., and Farberware Licensing Company, LLC over a Farberware pressure cooker sold exclusively by Walmart.
They allege that the Farberware 7-in-1 programmable pressure cooker has a dangerous defect. According to suit, the lid of the appliance "can be rotated and opened while the unit remains pressurized," allowing the potential for it to explode off the device during normal use.
Best Life reached out to Walmart about the lawsuit, and we will update this story with their response.
Consumers claim they got "painful injuries" from this product.
WalmartAccording to the lawsuit, Williams used a Farberware 7-in-1 programmable pressure she bought from Walmart to prepare cabbage for her family at her Ohio home in Jan. 2022. When she went to check the pressure cooker after letting it sit for 45 minutes after the cooking cycle had completed, Williams claims the lid "unexpectedly and suddenly blew off the pot in an explosive manner" after she pressed the release button.
The food inside of the pot was forcefully ejected, the lawsuit alleges—resulting in "painful bodily injuries" for both plaintiffs. Williams suffered second- and third-degree burns on her arms, chest, breasts, stomach, neck, and shoulders, while Reed (who was in the dining room while Williams was preparing the food) received first- and second-degree burns on his left arm, the suit states.
They also allege that Walmart is misleading shoppers.
ShutterstockOn its official website, Walmart touts the safety of the pressure cooker appliance in the product details.
"The cooker features a safety release valve to maintain the precise pressure needed for cooking and a large locking lid to prevents the cooker from opening while pressurized," the description reads.
But Williams and Reed say that these safety claims are not true—instead alleging that the product was "defectively and negligently" manufactured.
"It failed to properly function as to prevent the lid from opening or being removed while the unit remained pressurized, during the ordinary, foreseeable and proper use of cooking food with the product," the suit states.
With that in mind, the plaintiffs claim that Walmart's representations about the product's "safety" are not only misleading but are also "flatly wrong and put innocent consumers ... directly in harm's way."
The retailer has not issued a recall on Farberware pressure cookers.
Bruce VanLoon / ShutterstockDespite the lawsuit, Walmart is still actively marketing and selling the Farberware 7-in-1 programmable pressure cooker to consumers.
"Defendants knew or should have known of these defects but has nevertheless put profit ahead of safety by continuing to sell its pressure cookers to consumers, failing to warn said consumers of the serious risks posed by the defects, and failing to recall the dangerously defective pressure cookers regardless of the risk of significant injuries to Plaintiffs and consumers like them," the lawsuit states.
