DENVER, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. announces a landmark victory in a personal injury/product liability lawsuit against Sunbeam Products, Inc., and Newell Brands, Inc., on behalf of their client, Georgina Perez, who suffered catastrophic injuries when the multi-cooker/pressure cooker, manufactured by the defendants, exploded. Burg Simpson's trial team, led by Michael Burg, Holly Kammerer, Shane Fulton, and Hannah Huston, obtained a jury verdict of $55,500,000.00 following the 5-day trial. perez-verdict-form.pdf

"The jury understood the issues and sent a message to the defendants that profits over the safety of Ms. Perez and other consumers needed to be punished by the large punitive damages it awarded in its verdict" stated Michael Burg.

On June 13, 2019, Ms. Perez was preparing beans in her Express Crock Multi-Cooker, a popular appliance that can be set to a pressure-cooking mode. After the beans had finished cooking, Ms. Perez went to open the lid. Suddenly, the unit exploded with violent force and shot scalding beans and liquid into her face and body.

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Unfortunately, Ms. Perez's injuries were the result of a design defect that allowed the Express Crock to build pressure even when the lid locking mechanism was not engaged. Ms. Perez sustained second and third-degree burns over 13% of her body, requiring: eight (8) amniotic skin grafts to her face and neck, thirteen (13) cadaveric skin grafts to her neck, arms, and chest, all requiring over two (2) square feet of skin grafts, and leaving Ms. Perez with lifelong pain and disfigurement.

Sunbeam and Newell had knowledge of their defective and dangerous multicookers for at least 2.5 years before Ms. Perez's unit exploded (based on the date of the first reported failure of their multicooker due to defective locking mechanism). As a consequence of their failure to warn their customers of this danger, the Denver jury found these manufacturers not only negligent, but they acted with reckless disregard for the health and safety of their customer, and awarded Ms. Perez punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. The jury awarded Ms. Perez $3,500,000 for pain and suffering, $2,000,000 for disfigurement, $35,000,000 against Newell in punitive damages, and $15,000,000 against Sunbeam in punitive damages. The jury assigned apportionment of fault as follows: Newell- 63%, Sunbeam- 27%, and Ms. Perez 10%.

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About Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C.

One of America's foremost plaintiff trial firms, Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. has a reputation for fighting relentlessly and successfully for victims of negligence, malfeasance, malpractice, and abuse. Burg Simpson has secured more than $2 billion in verdicts, settlements, and judgments in practice areas spanning dangerous pharmaceutical drugs and devices, medical malpractice, personal injury, sexual assault and exploitation, commercial litigation and whistleblowers, construction defects, workers' compensation, and product liability, including more than 200 recoveries in excess of $1 million.

The firm was founded in 1976 by distinguished American trial lawyer Michael Burg, an inductee in the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Clarence Darrow Award. Mr. Burg has been named to the 2016 RoundTable: America's 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by The Trial Lawyer magazine; Barrister's Best as "Best Civil Litigator"; and one of "America's 50 Leading Trial Lawyers" by The U.S. Legal 500. Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. has 7 offices and award-winning lawyers throughout the United States.

Burg Simpson: Good Lawyers, Changing Lives^®.

SOURCE Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C.

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