A Sacramento resident has taken legal action against two corporations, alleging that a pressure cooker they manufactured and sold was dangerously defective. On November 26, 2025, Tammie Crittindon-Lewis filed a complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento, against Tristar Products, Inc., and Do It Best Corp. The lawsuit centers around a Power Pressure Cooker XL Model PPC780, which Crittindon-Lewis claims caused her severe injuries due to its faulty design.
According to the complaint, Crittindon-Lewis experienced a harrowing incident in December 2023 while using the pressure cooker to prepare a meal. Despite assurances from Tristar that the device had built-in safety features designed to prevent such occurrences, the lid allegedly blew off with significant force while still pressurized. This malfunction resulted in scalding hot contents being ejected from the cooker, causing serious injuries to Crittindon-Lewis’s chest, arms, and neck. The plaintiff argues that both Tristar and Do It Best were aware or should have been aware of these defects but continued to market and sell the product without adequate warnings or recalls.
The lawsuit accuses Tristar Products of multiple counts including strict products liability for design defects and failure to warn consumers about potential dangers. Similarly, Do It Best is accused of negligence for marketing and distributing the defective product without sufficient warnings. The complaint details how Tristar’s promotional materials falsely assured consumers of safety features that did not function as claimed. These assurances included promises that the lid would not open until all pressure was released—a claim contradicted by Crittindon-Lewis’s experience.
Crittindon-Lewis seeks compensatory damages for her physical injuries as well as emotional distress resulting from the incident. She is also pursuing punitive damages on grounds that both companies demonstrated gross negligence by prioritizing profits over consumer safety despite knowing about similar incidents involving their products. Furthermore, she requests an injunction against future sales of these defective pressure cookers unless they are redesigned or properly labeled with warnings about potential risks.
Represented by attorneys Dan C. Schaar and Eva D. Silva from Schaar & Silva LLP based in San Francisco, Crittindon-Lewis has demanded a jury trial for this case identified under Case No.: 2 Sto WO SSA Se before Judge [Name not provided]. The defendants are yet to respond formally within the court proceedings.
Source: 25CV028455_Tammie_Crittindon_v_Tristar_Products_Complaint_County_of_Sacramento.pdf
