GLENDALE (CNS) - A Canyon Country couple settled a lawsuit they filed against Kohl's and a pressure cooker maker after one of the devices exploded and left the wife with serious burns in 2015.
Lawyers for Gene and Bridget Iovino filed a notice of settlement with Glendale Superior Court Judge Ralph Hofer on July 20 stating that the case was resolved. No terms were divulged.
The Iovinos filed the suit in September 2015, naming both Kohl's Department Stores Inc. and Maxi-Matic USA Inc. They sought unspecified damages on allegations of negligence, failure to warn, strict liability, breach of express warranty and loss of consortium.
According to the lawsuit, the couple bought the pressure cooker online from Kohl's in October 2014. Five months later, Bridget Iovino was preparing chicken broth with the cooker in the same way she had done four times before, the suit stated.
She said she added ingredients and poured 10 cups of water into the cooker and set the timer for an hour. After the cooker turned off automatically, she left it alone for about 45 minutes, according to the complaint.
The woman then depressurized the cooker and added some more seasoning in the broth, then put the lid back on and set the timer for another 25 minutes, the suit stated. She said she saw more steam than was normal coming from the exhaust valve even though all appeared to be in order.
"(Bridget) Iovino walked two steps away from the pressure cooker before it exploded, covering (her) with hot water and steam” and leaving her with second- and third-degree burns, the suit stated.
The suit alleged the woman, now 54, was harmed due to the negligence of both Kohls and Maxi-Matic, and that her husband has been deprived of his wife's love and companionship due to her injuries.
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