Settlement Reached, Terms Sealed
On Dec. 17, both sides notified the court they had reached a settlement resolving all claims. Under the notice, each party agreed to cover its own legal fees and costs, and dismissal paperwork was being prepared in line with court procedures. The settlement terms were not disclosed publicly.
Broader Scrutiny of Amazon’s Role
The heating pad case is among a growing number of lawsuits challenging Amazon’s responsibility for injuries tied to defective products sold by third-party vendors on its platform.
In another lawsuit filed earlier in 2025, Amazon was named as a defendant in a pressure cooker explosion case involving a child who allegedly suffered severe scalding injuries when an Instant Pot purchased through Amazon opened while still pressurized. That case alleges Amazon allowed a dangerously defective product to be sold despite prior recalls and known issues with the cooker’s lid-locking system.
The suit was filed solely against Amazon after the manufacturer, Instant Brands Inc., sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid a wave of similar injury claims.
Amazon’s role in such disputes has drawn heightened attention following determinations by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that the company may qualify as a distributor under federal law, potentially making it responsible for recalls of unsafe products. Amazon has consistently disputed that designation and continues to challenge liability for items sold by independent sellers.
