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April 25, 2025 – Shana Stewart filed a lawsuit in Louisiana District Court against Stark Group LLC, doing business as Stark USA and Stark Tools USA, after her Barton 8 Quart Aluminum Stovetop Pressure Cooker exploded on April 26, 2024. She suffered third and fourth degree burns to her arms, chest, stomach and underarms when boiling water splashed onto her body during the device’s third use, approximately 30 to 40 minutes into cooking.
Third Use Explosion
Stewart purchased the Barton pressure cooker through the Walmart app in March 2024. After using it successfully twice, it exploded on its third use—about 30 to 40 minutes into the cooking process.
Third and Fourth Degree Burns
The explosion caused boiling hot water to splash onto Stewart’s arms, chest, stomach, and underarms. She suffered both third and fourth degree burns across these areas—injuries that destroy all skin layers and can extend into muscle and bone.
Ongoing Medical Treatment
Stewart required immediate medical, surgical, and rehabilitative treatment for her burns. According to the lawsuit, she continues to undergo burn scraping procedures and other treatments months after the incident.
Permanent Scarring and Disfigurement
The lawsuit indicates Stewart has been left with permanent scarring and disfigurement from the burns. Fourth degree burns in particular create devastating, life-altering damage that no amount of surgery can fully repair.
Defective Design Claims
The complaint alleges the pressure cooker was defective in its construction, composition, design, warnings, and warranties. Stewart claims the device lacked features necessary to make it safe for its intended use.
Inadequate Testing Allegations
According to the lawsuit, the Barton pressure cooker was not adequately tested before being marketed and sold to consumers. Stark Group allegedly placed a defective and unreasonably dangerous product into the stream of commerce.
Louisiana Products Liability Act
The complaint states: “Plaintiff shows that STARK USA designed and/or manufactured a product or products as described above and that it/they were defective and unreasonably dangerous in design, construction, composition/manufacture and inadequate in its instructions and/or warnings thereby rendering Defendant liable under the Louisiana Products Liability Act.” This law holds manufacturers strictly liable for defective products that cause injury.
Stovetop Versus Electric Models
Stewart’s case involves a traditional aluminum stovetop pressure cooker, not the newer electric models that have dominated recent pressure cooker litigation. However, both types can explode catastrophically when safety mechanisms fail.
How Pressure Cookers Work
Pressure cookers prepare food rapidly by sealing in steam and increasing internal pressure inside the vessel. When functioning properly, integrated safety mechanisms keep the lid locked until pressure has been safely released.
The Explosion Mechanism
When pressure cookers are defectively designed or manufactured, the buildup of heat and pressure can create sudden explosion risks. If the lid isn’t properly locked or pressure isn’t fully released, opening the cooker releases scalding contents violently.
Damages Sought
Stewart’s lawsuit seeks damages for medical expenses, physical injury, pain and suffering, scarring, disfigurement, embarrassment, disability, mental injury, mental anguish and distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and other losses. The burn injuries have created both physical and psychological trauma.
Growing Pressure Cooker Litigation
Stewart’s claim joins a growing number of pressure cooker explosion lawsuits filed against various manufacturers including Instant Pot, SharkNinja, Crock-Pot, and Farberware. Many raise similar concerns about safety failures allowing lids to open while dangerous pressure remains inside.
Electric Cooker Marketing Claims
Electric pressure cooker manufacturers marketed their products as incorporating advanced safety systems that would prevent the explosions associated with older stovetop models. Many lawsuits allege those safeguards failed during normal use.
Recent Pressure Cooker Recalls
Regulatory agencies have responded to similar defects with recalls affecting more than one million Best Buy Insignia pressure cookers and approximately 900,000 Sensio pressure cooker units. Both recalls involved lid defects that could permit hot contents to escape.
Common Burn Injury Patterns
Consumers injured in pressure cooker explosions often report second and third degree burns covering large portions of their bodies. The scalding liquids and steam create widespread damage, permanent scarring, and lasting physical and emotional effects.
Fourth Degree Burn Severity
Fourth degree burns are the most severe classification, extending through all skin layers into underlying muscle, tendons, and bone. These injuries often require extensive skin grafts, multiple surgeries, and long-term rehabilitation with no guarantee of functional recovery.
Mental and Emotional Trauma
Beyond physical injuries, pressure cooker explosion victims suffer mental anguish, distress, embarrassment from disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. The psychological impact of severe burns can be as debilitating as the physical damage.
Manufacturer Duty to Test
Manufacturers have a legal duty to adequately test products before selling them to ensure they’re safe for their intended use. Failure to properly test pressure cookers for safety mechanism reliability constitutes negligence and strict liability.
Contact an Attorney
If you or a family member suffered burn injuries from an exploding Barton pressure cooker or any other brand, contact a product liability attorney immediately. Preserve the device exactly as it is after the explosion, photograph all burn injuries and the pressure cooker thoroughly, document all medical treatment with detailed records, and save purchase receipts and all communication with manufacturers or retailers.
References
1. https://www.aboutlawsuits.com/barton-pressure-cooker-lawsuit-explosion-third-fourth-degree-burns/