Settlement ends suit against Pampered Chef

(ran East edition)

A lawsuit filed in March by a Land O'Lakes woman against cookware distributor Pampered Chef has been closed with a confidential settlement reached through mediation, the woman's attorney said this week.

The woman, Elizabeth Eavenson, 26, filed suit in Circuit Court claiming a baking stone cracked and a fragment slashed her lip. Tampa attorney William Taylor IV said Eavenson and Pampered Chef representatives met last week and resolved the issue.

As part of the agreement, the sides agreed not to disclose details of the settlement, Taylor said. Pampered Chef never responded formally to the suit either acknowledging or denying any of the claims.

The Pampered Chef, based in Addison, Ill., was founded in 1980 and has 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.