DADE CITY - A Land O'Lakes woman is suing cookware distributor the Pampered Chef, claiming a baking stone the company sells cracked and cut her lip last year.
Through her attorney, Elizabeth Eavenson, 26, filed the lawsuit in Circuit Court, seeking unspecified damages above the $15,000 minimum required to place the case on the circuit level.
Tampa attorney William Taylor IV penned the suit, claiming a baking stone Eavenson bought broke as she took it out of the oven in April. A piece flew up and cut Eavenson's upper lip, requiring four stitches and leaving a scar, Taylor wrote.
Eavenson's husband, Clay, is also suing, claiming "loss of consortium."
Pampered Chef spokeswoman Lisa McComb said Wednesday the company had not yet seen the complaint. But she said she has not heard of similar injuries before.
It is possible, she said, for the baking stones to crack if a user puts a frozen item on a hot stone during its first use. She said the company provides specific instructions.
Baking stones, she said, are a popular item at the Pampered Chef.
The Pampered Chef, based in Addison, Ill., was founded in 1980 and boasts a sales staff of more than 71,000 independent distributors worldwide with sales of more than $700-million to 13-million customers, according to the company's Internet site.
The company sells baking stones in two sizes. The smaller size retails for $18.50, and the larger one sells for $25.50.
