An Illinois jury ordered Chicago-based Conagra Brands to pay $7.1 million to a Pennsylvania woman who suffered severe burns when a can of cooking spray caught fire in the kitchen of her workplace.
The woman, Tammy Reese, was working in a kitchen at the Hub City Club in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, in May 2017, using Pam cooking spray when it suddenly “exploded into a fireball, causing burns,” according to the complaint filed in 2019.
Ms. Reese suffered second-degree burns to her head, face, hands and arms and spent weeks tending to the burns, said Ms. Reese’s attorney, J. Craig Smith.
The jury found in Ms. Reese’s favor on the following counts: liability, defect in design, failure to warn, and negligence and willful and wanton conduct, according to documents filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court.
Conagra Brands, the parent company of Pam and several other brands including Marie Callender’s, Reddi-wip and Chef Boyardee, must pay $3.1 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages to Ms. Reese, according to court documents.
“She has been through a lot and deserves this compensation,” Mr Smith said. “The can of cooking spray in this case was unreasonably dangerous and they did not warn about it.”
The lawsuit claimed the cans were defective because they had a U-shaped vent in the base that made them explosive, and the cooking spray contained “extremely flammable materials such as propane and butane.”
There are about 50 burn victim cases pending against Conagra, which are being litigated by Koskoff and Meyers & Flowers, the two law firms that have represented Ms. Reese.
A Conagra spokesman said the specific type of doses at issue in the lawsuit have not been available for more than four years. The company also wrote that it disagreed with the jury’s verdict and was considering whether to appeal.
Pam and other cooking sprays carry clear warnings indicating that the product is flammable and should not be left on or near a stove or heat source, Conagra told The Associated Press. Cooking spray should not be stored above 120 degrees or sprayed near an open flame, the company says.
“The safety of our products and our consumers is always Conagra’s top priority,” the statement said. “We continue to stand by our cooking spray products, which are safe and effective when used correctly and as directed.”