KANSAS CITY — A Missouri man has filed a federal lawsuit alleging he suffered severe and permanently disfiguring burn injuries when a CRUX-brand electric pressure cooker malfunctioned and violently expelled scalding contents while still under pressure.
James Hayes, a resident of Columbia, Mo., brought the complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Northern Division, naming Sensio Inc., Crux Kitchen LLC, and 8479950 Canada Inc. as defendants, according to the complaint filed Dec. 1.
Hayes was using a Crux 8-Quart 10-in-1 Programmable Multi Cooker on or about Dec. 1, 2020, when the lid allegedly opened unexpectedly while the appliance was pressurized.
The sudden opening purportedly caused superheated liquid and steam to erupt from the cooker, resulting in severe burns to Hayes’s face, torso and arms.
The lawsuit alleges the injuries caused extreme pain, suffering and permanent scarring and disfigurement.
Hayes contends the pressure cooker was defectively designed and/or manufactured and posed an unreasonable risk of harm to consumers.
The complaint alleges that the cooker was marketed as a safe household appliance with an “auto-locking lid” designed to prevent opening under pressure; however, this safety feature failed during normal and foreseeable use.
The lawsuit further claims the product did not comply with applicable industry safety standards, specifically UL 136 Standard for Safety, Pressure Cookers, approved by the American National Standards Institute as ANSI/UL 136-2010.
The defendants are accused of failing to ensure the product met these safety standards and of not submitting the pressure cooker for UL certification.
The complaint alleges that the cooker lacked adequate safety mechanisms to prevent the lid from opening while pressurized and that ordinary users could manually defeat the lid-locking system under dangerous conditions.
Hayes further claims that the defendants failed to provide adequate warnings or instructions, alerting consumers to the risk that the lid could open prematurely and expose users to scalding contents.
The lawsuit asserts that Sensio Inc., which does business as Made By Gather, served as the importer and distributor of the CRUX pressure cooker, while Crux Kitchen LLC and 8479950 Canada Inc. were owners of the CRUX brand.
Sensio is described in the complaint as a major designer, distributor, and manufacturer of small kitchen appliances sold through major retailers nationwide and online platforms.
The complaint alleges that the defendants conducted substantial business in Missouri and knowingly placed the product into the stream of commerce.
Hayes alleges that the defendants knew or should have known of the pressure cooker’s defects before his injury.
The complaint claims that before December 2020, the defendants were aware of similar incidents in which the lids of CRUX pressure cookers opened under pressure and caused serious burn injuries.
Despite this alleged knowledge, Hayes claims the defendants continued to market and sell the product without implementing design changes, issuing adequate warnings or recalling the appliance.
The complaint also references a recall announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in August 2023 involving more than 860,000 pressure cookers, including the model at issue.
According to the filing, the recall followed dozens of reports of incidents and burn injuries associated with the products.
Hayes alleges that the defendants prioritized profit over consumer safety by continuing to sell the pressure cookers despite known risks.
In his lawsuit, Hayes brings claims for strict products liability, failure to warn, negligence and willful, wanton and reckless conduct.
He alleges the defendants breached their duty to design, manufacture and sell a reasonably safe product and that their actions directly and proximately caused his injuries.
Hayes seeks compensatory damages exceeding $75,000 for medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish and permanent disfigurement, as well as costs, interest and other relief permitted by law. He has also demanded a jury trial on all triable issues.
Hayes is represented by Jill Harper of Harper Evans Hilbrenner Netmeyer in Columbia.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Northern Division case number: 2:25-cv-04271
