March 23, 2023 — A lawsuit has been filed by a man who was burned when he opened the lid on his Instant Pot Viva Multi-Cooker.
The plaintiff, Jeffrey L., is a man from Alabama who alleges that his Instant Pot Viva Black SS 60 Multi-Cooker is “unreasonably dangerous” because the safety features failed to lock the lid.
The Instant Pot Viva is a 9-in-1 multi-cooker that features a pressure cooker, sauté, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and other functions.
He claims that on March 27, 2021, he was using it as a pressure cooker when he was able to easily twist open the lid. Unfortunately, the unit was still pressurized, which caused the contents to erupt out.
His lawsuit was filed against the manufacturer, Instant Brands Inc. The company is accused of misleading consumers about the safety features of the Instant Pot, which failed to perform as advertised.
The lawsuit specifically cites claims, such as “[a]s a safety feature, until the float valve drops down the lid is locked and cannot be opened.”
These claims indicate that consumers should not be able to open the lid on the Instant Pot until it is safe, according to the lawsuit.
He alleges that the Instant Pot Viva SS 60 is “defectively and negligently designed” because consumers can easily open the lid when there is still a dangerous amount of pressure inside the unit.
His Instant Pot Lawsuit was filed on March 14, 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (Western Division) — Case Number 7:23-cv-00320-LSC.