Gotham Steel Class Action Lawsuit Update: Is It Really Non-Toxic? (2026)
The short answer
Yes, there is a Gotham Steel class action. The company agreed to settle, and the final approval hearing is November 2, 2026.
The suit alleges pans sold as "Non-toxic" and "Toxin Free" held metals and chemicals the box never named. The company denies it. No court has ruled.
Only buyers in two states could claim, and that deadline has passed. What you still choose is the pan on your stove tomorrow.
What this guide answers
What else in your house needs a second look?
The free 3 minute scan goes room by room and tells you what to swap first. A first name and a cell, and your score comes by one text. It is free because I would rather you see your own house than take my word for it.
Take the free home scanYou can always say no.
What does the Gotham Steel class action say?
Quick answer: it alleges pans sold as "Toxin Free" held things the box never named. The company being sued, E. Mishan, denies it.
You threw out the old scratched pan. You picked the copper one because the box said non-toxic. You hung it by the stove. You fried two eggs in it this morning.
Now a lawsuit says that box left things out.
No shame in that. The word was printed big, right where you were meant to trust it.
You wanted a pan that puts nothing into your food. That is fair. The trouble, the suit says, is what E. Mishan & Sons, Inc. sold you to get it.
The case, number CVRI2505343, was filed September 8, 2025, in Riverside County, California. It covers Gotham Steel, Granite Stone and Bell & Howell cookware with stainless steel parts.
The suit lists the words it says sold them, like "Non-toxic," "Safe," "Toxin Free" and "PFOA Free." It alleges that was "despite the undisclosed presence of chromium, iron, nickel, lead, cadmium, PFOA, PFAS, PTFE, or PFOS."
Those are claims in a lawsuit. No court has tested them, and so I will keep calling them claims.
Is Gotham Steel non-toxic?
Quick answer: its home page still says "Non-Toxic, Non-Stick, and Safe." A page linked at the very bottom lists five metals.
On October 20, 2026, the Gotham Steel home page read "Non-Toxic, Non-Stick, and Safe."
At the very bottom sits a link marked "CA AB1200." That page says "Gotham Steel Cookware may contain" iron, chromium, nickel, manganese and aluminum.
A big word on the front. A small list behind a footer link.
A California law says pan labels must list certain added chemicals, starting January 1, 2024.
Iron, chromium and nickel on the new label
In the deal, E. Mishan agreed to print "This product contains: iron, chromium, and nickel" on labels and product pages. It would start within 180 days of a final deal and last up to three years.
Those three are what most stainless steel is made of. I am not calling steel poison.
The trouble is the order. By the suit's account, "Toxin Free" came first, and the metals never made the box.
The FTC's guide for green claims says "non-toxic" likely means "non-toxic both for humans and for the environment generally." And so the word is a promise, and E. Mishan is the one who picks it.
Who does the Gotham Steel settlement cover?
Quick answer: only buyers in California and Colorado, and the claim deadline passed on September 25, 2026.
The court notice covers buyers in California or Colorado from September 8, 2021, to July 6, 2026.
A valid claim pays $6.00 per pan, pot or set, up to two per home.
Nothing is paid unless the judge gives final approval and any appeals end. The notice says the November 2 hearing "may be moved."
An October 9, 2026, court filing counts 38,433 valid claims and no objections.
If you bought yours anywhere else, no check is coming.
Is Gotham Steel safe to cook with?
Quick answer: no court has said. But the same company recalled a Granitestone pan in April 2026. A metal cap can shoot off when hot.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission posted recall 26-377 on April 2, 2026. It covers about 740,000 Granitestone Diamond Pro Blue sauté pans.
The metal cap on the handle screw "can become detached and forcefully eject when heated," the notice says. It counts at least 98 incidents, and one report of bruises and burns.
The danger in this recall is a hot piece of metal.
If you have one, stop using it. The CPSC says to contact E. Mishan "for a full refund."
| What happened | The concern | Named authority and date | What it does NOT mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class action filed | Alleged hidden metals and chemicals in pans sold as "Toxin Free" | Riverside County court, September 8, 2025 | The company denies it, and no court has ruled |
| Settlement, not final | $6.00 an item, two per home, two states only | Final hearing, November 2, 2026 | No payment unless the judge approves it |
| New label promised | "This product contains: iron, chromium, and nickel" | Settlement agreement, filed May 28, 2026 | Those metals are in most stainless steel |
| Granitestone pan recall | A metal cap can eject when hot | CPSC recall 26-377, April 2, 2026 | An impact and burn hazard, not a chemical one |
Is there a case for keeping your pan?
Quick answer: three fair points. None of them changes what the box said.
First, nobody here says a pan made anyone sick. The suit "does not allege that the Products caused any physical or personal injury to anyone," the notice says.
Second, E. Mishan denies it. The notice says the deal "does not mean Defendant broke the law."
Third, the metals on the new label are in most stainless steel, whatever the brand.
All three are true. I am not going to pretend otherwise.
So why would I still tell you to swap it? Because you paid for one word, and the company picked it. A list of metals behind a footer link is not the same promise.
And you are not the only one asking. Two buyers took it to court.
What do I cook in instead?
Quick answer: a plain cast iron skillet made in America, with no nonstick coating.
Cast iron has no coating to wear thin. The pan is iron, all the way through, and the name says so.
Start with your egg pan, not because it is the worst one, but because it is the one you reach for every morning.
Heat it slowly. Add a little oil or butter before the eggs. Wash it in hot water, dry it on the burner and wipe on a thin coat of oil.
The eggs may stick at first. The more you cook in it, the slicker it gets.
For the dish soap and sprays under your sink, I point you to Switch to America. It is a private membership store. We are the manufacturer. No middlemen, no markup.
Before bed tonight, take the copper pan off the hook by the stove.
Shannon's Advice
Straight talk from ShannonI do not call them grocery stores. They are poison centers meant to do you and your family harm. It is not just the brands who are doing the harm, it is the stores themselves. They allow these toxic products on their shelves. People are sick and dying. This is a very serious matter. How can we ever trust them again?
We can't trust them. That is where Switch to America comes in. We are a new supply chain, built on family values, trust and affordability.
You do not have to take my word for it. The proof is in my blog posts, the recalls, the lawsuits and the fines, and in the app I built called The Family Home Toxic Scorecard. Also, inside my Switch Circle private community, we talk about real solutions.
Women come to me exhausted, in pain, stressed out, and on a list of prescriptions they never wanted. I have spent over 20 years helping women get off prescription medications. I help families reclaim their health.
We cannot stop them. I have stopped expecting to. However, we can stop walking into their stores. We are linking arms and together taking our control back. Control of our health and our finances.
Start by clicking the link below and taking the SCAN.
The receipts
- Settlement website, Fouse and Miller v. E. Mishan & Sons, Inc., case CVRI2505343. Alleges pans sold as "Non-toxic" held metals and chemicals not disclosed. No injury alleged, and the company denies it. What it means: the word you paid for is the case.
- Settlement agreement, filed May 28, 2026, section III.B. The new label: "This product contains: iron, chromium, and nickel." What it means: it reaches the box only after final approval.
- Court approved notice. $6.00 an item, two per home, California and Colorado only, deadline September 25, 2026. What it means: most buyers get no check.
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, recall 26-377, April 2, 2026. About 740,000 Granitestone Diamond Pro Blue sauté pans, at least 98 incidents. What it means: look for that name by your stove.
- Gotham Steel home page and its AB 1200 page, as of October 20, 2026. What it means: "Non-Toxic" up top, five metals on a page linked in the footer.
- California Department of Justice letter on AB 1200, October 17, 2023. What it means: since 2024, California wants certain added chemicals on the pan label.
- FTC Green Guides, 16 CFR 260.10. What it means: "non-toxic" is a promise about people and the environment, and the seller makes it.
Who do you become?
You become the one who knows what your pan is made of.
It is a Saturday morning in November. Two eggs go into the black skillet, and the butter hisses.
You slide the spatula under them and they come up whole. There is no box to trust, because there was never a coating to explain.
It took one pan to start.
Three minutes, room by room
The pan was one thing on one burner. The free scan checks the products in every room and tells you what to swap first. A first name and a cell, one text with your score, and nobody calls. You see your own house, not just my word.
Take the free home scanWhat else do people ask?
Is the Gotham Steel lawsuit over?
Not yet. Both sides agreed to settle. The final approval hearing is November 2, 2026. Nothing is paid until the judge approves it and any appeals end.
Was my Granitestone pan recalled?
Only the Granitestone Diamond Pro Blue sauté pan set, sold August 2021 through February 2026 for about $40. If you have one, stop using it and ask E. Mishan for a full refund.
My pan never bothered me. Why switch now?
Because you picked it for one word on the box. The suit says that word left things out, and E. Mishan denies it. A plain cast iron skillet never needed the word.