Sensio Pressure Cooker Explosion Showered Couple in Burning Hot Broth, Lawsuit Alleges

A California couple has filed a Bella pressure cooker lawsuit against Sensio after being showered with scalding hot chicken soup and burned due a defecive safety feature, which should have prevented the lid from being removed while the contents were still under pressure.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Louise Frances Georskey-Reyna and Martin Morones Reyna in California Superior Court on December 6, naming Sensio, Inc. and Kohl’s, Inc., as well as Chinese manufacturers, DOES 1 through 100, as the defendants.

The lawsuit comes about a year and a half after a Sensio Bella pressure cooker recall was announced in August 2023, affecting nearly 900,000 units that were linked to reports of injuries and explosions when the pressure cooker lids were removed while the contents were under pressure, which should have been impossible according to the advertised safety features.

However, Sensio is just one of several appliance manufacturers facing similar pressure cooker lawsuits in recent years. Claims filed against the manufacturers of similar devices, like Instant Pot, Crock Pot, Ninja Foodie and others all raise similar allegations that the modern electric pressure cookers are prone to explode when the lid is removed, even after it appears all the steam has been released from the pot.

That was the assumption of the Reynas in December 2022, when they were using their Bella 8-quart electric pressure cooker to make chicken soup. According to the lawsuit, they were sprayed with boiling hot soup when it unexpectedly exploded, causing severe burns that required hospitalization.

Their pressure cooker was later listed as one of those included in the recall several months later.

“The subject pressure cooker was defective insofar as it allowed consumers to open the cooker’s lid while under pressure, causing a risk of burn injuries when pressurized, heated contents explode from the cooker,” the lawsuit states. “Indeed, the subject pressure cooker was voluntarily recalled on August 10, 2023, after Sensio received 63 reports of incidents, including 61 burn injuries, some of which involved second- and third-degree burns to the face, torso, arms, and hands.”

The lawsuit indicates the couple have lost earnings and wages due to time away from work, and will continue to suffer future income losses due to injuries that prevent them from effectively performing tasks they were able to do before the explosion, but not after.

They present claims of strict product liability, negligent products liability and negligent infliction of emotional distress.