Federal complaint in the District of Massachusetts alleges a Ninja Foodi TenderCrisp lid opened while the cooker was still pressurized, nearly nine months before SharkNinja recalled 1.8 million units
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL & PLYMOUTH, MA – August 25, 2026 – Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers has filed a product liability lawsuit against SharkNinja Operating LLC on behalf of a California consumer who suffered burns to his hands, chest, and arms when his Ninja Foodi TenderCrisp pressure cooker allegedly came open while it was still under pressure. The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Eastern Division, where SharkNinja maintains its principal place of business.
The case is Detovionte Small v. SharkNinja Operating LLC, Case No. 1:26-cv-13698 (D. Mass.). The plaintiff is represented by Walter Kelley of Bernheim Kelley Battista, LLC in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and by J. Curt Tanner of Turnbull, Moak & Pendergrass, LLC in Birmingham, Alabama, whose pro hac vice admission is forthcoming.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The complaint brings four counts against SharkNinja: strict product liability, negligence, breach of express and implied warranty, and unfair and deceptive trade practices under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A.
At the center of all four counts is a single alleged defect. The lawsuit alleges the pressure cooker’s lid can be turned and removed while the unit is still pressurized, which allows scalding contents to be ejected at the exact moment a user believes the cooking cycle is safely finished. The complaint alleges that SharkNinja knew or should have known about this failure from earlier incidents involving the same design, and that the company did not recall the product or adequately warn users in time to protect the plaintiff.
The complaint further alleges that a safer, economically feasible alternative design was available that would have prevented the lid from detaching under pressure, and that the unit’s real-world behavior was inconsistent with SharkNinja’s representation that the product complied with UL 136.
What the Complaint Says Happened
According to the complaint, on August 12, 2024, the plaintiff used his Ninja Foodi at home in Riverside County, California, to prepare a hamburger and cheese dip for his family. He added ingredients, secured the lid, and ran a normal cooking cycle.
When the cycle finished, he went to open the lid. The complaint alleges that despite the failsafe devices the product is supposed to contain, the lid blew off and sprayed superheated liquid, food, and steam across his hands, chest, and arms. He suffered burns, and the complaint alleges the injuries are serious and permanent.
“Our client did what the manual told him to do. He waited for the cycle to end, and he turned the lid,” said Walter Kelley, a managing partner at Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers. “The entire promise of an electric pressure cooker is that it will not let you open it at the wrong moment. When that promise fails, a weeknight dinner turns into a burn injury. That is not user error. That is a design that did not do the one thing it was sold to do.”
The Manual Language at the Center of the Case
The complaint focuses on two statements in the product’s Owner’s Guide on page 15 telling users the lid will not unlock while the cooker is pressurized. The lawsuit alleges both statements are false, and that the lid can and does unlock while the cooker is still dangerously pressurized.
That distinction matters legally. A consumer who has been told the appliance physically cannot open under pressure has no reason to treat an ordinary lid turn as dangerous. The complaint alleges the representation was material both to the decision to buy the product and to how it was used.
“Nearly two million of these cookers went into American kitchens,” said Jesse Bernheim, CEO and trial attorney at Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers. “A free replacement lid does nothing for the people who were already burned. We intend to put this in front of a jury and hold the company accountable for what it knew and when it knew it.”
The May 2025 Recall of 1.8 Million Ninja Foodi Pressure Cookers
The injury described in this complaint happened nearly nine months before SharkNinja recalled the product line.
On May 1, 2025, SharkNinja announced a voluntary recall of every Ninja Foodi OP300 Series Multi-Function Pressure Cooker, working with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. The recall covers approximately 1,846,400 units sold in the United States and approximately 184,240 units sold in Canada. It is CPSC Recall No. 25-247.
The stated reason for the recall is that the pressure-cooking lid can be opened during use, allowing hot contents to escape and posing a burn risk. At the time of the announcement, the CPSC reported that SharkNinja had received 106 reports of burn injuries, including more than 50 reports of second- or third-degree burns to the face or body, and that 26 lawsuits had already been filed.
The recall remedy is a free replacement lid. Consumers are told to stop using the pressure-cooking function immediately and may continue using the air frying and other functions.
Which Ninja Foodi Models Are Covered by the Recall
The recall covers all Ninja Foodi OP300 Series Multi-Function Pressure Cookers. The recalled units are black, hold 6.5 quarts, and carry a model number on a label on the side of the cooker. The covered model numbers are:
OP300, OP301, OP301A, OP302, OP302BRN, OP302HCN, OP302HAQ, OP302HW, OP302HB, OP305, OP305CO, and OP350CO.
Letters or numbers printed after the model number are not part of the model designation. A unit labeled OP301 I07, for example, is a model OP301. Replacement OP300 series lids purchased separately are also covered by the recall.
The cookers were sold at Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Amazon, and Target nationwide, and online at those retailers and at ninjakitchen.com, from January 2019 through March 2025, for about $200. The pressure cooker at issue in this lawsuit is an OP302-series unit that appears on the recall list.
What To Do if You Were Burned by a Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker
- Get medical treatment and keep every record, including emergency room notes, burn center records, photographs of the injury as it heals, and any time missed from work.
- Do not throw the pressure cooker away. The unit, the lid, and the silicone sealing ring are the central physical evidence in a claim. Keep the appliance, the original lid, the box, the manual, and the receipt if you still have them.
- Stop using the pressure-cooking function on any covered model, and register for the free replacement lid, but hold onto the original lid rather than discarding it.
- Write down the model number from the label on the side of the unit.
- Talk to a product liability attorney before the filing deadline in your state expires.
Free Case Review for Ninja Foodi & Pressure Cooker Burn Injuries
Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers is reviewing Ninja Foodi and other pressure cooker burn injury claims nationwide. If you or someone in your family was burned by a pressure cooker that opened while it was still under pressure, the firm offers a free and confidential case evaluation to determine whether you have a viable claim.
Call 888-902-5867 or contact us online to request a free case review. There is no fee unless a recovery is obtained. Clients may be responsible for costs and expenses.
About Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers
Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers is a nationally recognized law firm with decades of experience representing clients in mass tort, product liability, and personal injury cases. Founded by Jesse Bernheim, Esq., the firm has secured over $1 billion in settlements and judgments on behalf of clients nationwide. The firm maintains offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, and Starke, Florida; in Plymouth and Boston, Massachusetts; and in Nashville, Tennessee.
The firm believes Real Justice goes beyond compensation to restore dignity, peace of mind, and confidence in the future for victims and their families.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Lawsuits
The lawsuit alleges that Ninja Foodi pressure cookers are defectively designed because the lid can be opened while the unit is still pressurized, causing scalding contents to be ejected onto the user.
The complaint filed by Bernheim Kelley Injury Lawyers on August 11, 2026, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts alleges the plaintiff suffered burns to his hands, chest, and arms in an August 2024 incident, and brings claims for strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, and violation of Massachusetts Chapter 93A.
CPSC Recall No. 25-247, announced May 1, 2025, covers all Ninja Foodi OP300 Series Multi-Function Pressure Cookers, including the following models:
- OP300
- OP301
- OP301A
- OP302
- OP302BRN
- OP302HCN
- OP302HAQ
- OP302HW
- OP302HB
- OP305
- OP305CO
- OP350CO
- OP300 Series replacement lids sold separately
The model number is printed on a label on the side of the cooker.
A recall remedy is a product repair, not a settlement of a personal injury claim. Registering for a replacement lid does not, by itself, give up a claim for burns you already suffered. If you were injured and you have signed or accepted anything from the manufacturer or an insurer, have a lawyer read the actual document before you assume where you stand.
These are individual personal injury lawsuits rather than a class action. Burn injuries, medical treatment, and losses differ enormously from person to person, which is why they are filed and valued one at a time.
As of August 2026, no federal multidistrict litigation has been established to consolidate Ninja Foodi pressure cooker injury claims. A class action, if one were filed, would typically address economic loss, such as the purchase price, not physical injury.
The deadline is set by your state’s statute of limitations and generally runs between 2 and 4 years from the date of injury. Massachusetts allows 3 years for personal injury claims.
Which state’s deadline applies depends on where you live, where the product was purchased, and where the injury occurred. These deadlines are strict, and missing one usually ends the claim permanently, so the date of your injury is the first thing to check.
No. The firm handles product liability and mass tort claims for clients nationwide, with offices in Florida, Massachusetts, and Tennessee, and local or pro hac vice arrangements where required. The plaintiff in this case lives in California, and the suit was filed in Massachusetts, where SharkNinja is headquartered.
Legal notice: The statements described in this release are allegations contained in a complaint. SharkNinja Operating LLC has not yet responded to the complaint, and no court has ruled on the merits of any claim. Allegations in a complaint are not evidence and are not findings of fact. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. This release may be considered attorney advertising under applicable rules of professional conduct.
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