Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC

Personal Injury

Lizanne Gumbel KC is a highly distinguished practitioner in Personal Injury claims. She is instructed in a range of catastrophic injury claims, including spinal injuries, arising out of road traffic and other accidents.

Lizanne has also been instructed in a number of multi- party actions arising out of sexual abuse and physical abuse of children and adults in institutions including the Jimmy Savile litigation, the Winterbourne View claims and The Aston Hall Hospital claims. Lizanne has acted for women abused by Mr Harvey Weinstein and Mr Epstein and is acting for women alleging abuse by Mr Crispin Odey amongst other individuals. Claims Lizanne has been instructed in against private hospitals, the catholic church and local authorities have involved a number of cases which have resulted in the development of the law in respect of vicarious liability.

Lizanne is currently  recommended as a leading and a star silk for both the clinical negligence and personal injury fields by Chambers & Partners Directory UK and in the Legal 500.

Selected Cases

• HXA v Surrey CC [2023] UKSC 52.
• AB v Worcestershire CC [2023]EWCA Civ 529.
• Vakharia v Bukowski [2022] 3 WLUK 13.
• DFX (A Protected Party) v Coventry City Council [2021] EWHC 1382.
• Barclays Bank v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 13: Determining whether an employer (bank) was vicariously liable for sexual assaults committed by an independent contractor (doctor) during medical examinations of the bank’s current and prospective employees.
• Various Claimants v H and MIB (2020): Acted for group of survivors and families of victims in the Westminster Bridge Terrorist Attack.
• DFX and others v Council (2020): Representing 4 Claimants bringing a claim against a local authority for failure to remove them from an abusive home.
• KPR v OF (2020): Catastrophic injuries sustained in road traffic accident.
• PQ v Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust [2020]EWHC 1676: Unusual birth injury claim.
• GHI v North Bristol NHS Trust (2020): Birth injury claim settled in excess of £16.7m.
• BXY v  Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2020): High value birth injury case where mother was prescribed Nifedipine before the birth.
• CN & GN v Poole BC [2019] UKSC 25: The Supreme Court summarised the circumstances when a local authority could be said to have a duty of care when exercising statutory functions. A local authority which had exercised functions under the Children Act 1989 s.17 and s.47 had not had a duty of care towards the children concerned as it had not assumed responsibility for their safety or welfare.
• R (on the application of criminal injuries compensation authority) (Claimant) v First Tier Tribunal criminal injuries compensation) & MB (Interested Party) [2016] EWHC 2745.
• JL v (1) Michael George Bowen (2) Scout Association [2015], C of A [2017] EWCA Civ 82.
• RE v GE [2015] EWCA Civ 287.
• P (by his litigation friend the official solicitor) v Cheshire West & Chester Council & Anor: P & Q (by their litigation the Official Solicitor) v Surrey County Council [2014] UKSC 19.
• Darren Griffin v George Ponsonby[2013] EWHC 3410.
• Robert Ayres v Mahesh Odedra [2013] EWHC 40.
• Boyle v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2013] EWCA.
• Ndiki Mutua and others v The Foreign and Commonwealth Office [2012] EWHC 2878.
• JGE v (1) English Province of our Lady of Charity (2) Trustees of the Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust [2012] EWCA Civ 938.
• Maga (By his litigation friend the Official Solicitor) v Trustees of the Birmingham Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church [2010] EWCA Civ 256.
• David Rowe v Dolman [2008] EWCA 1040.
• X and Y v London Borough of Hounslow [2009] EWCA civ 285.
• A v Iorworth Hoare [2008] HL 2 WLR 311.
• Jake Pierce v Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council [2007] EWHC 2968 (QB).
• C v Middlesborough Council [2004] EWCA Civ 1746.
• Sowden v Lodge, Crookdake v Drury [2005] 1WLR 2129.
• McDonnell v Congregation of Christian Brothers Trustees (formerly Irish Christian Brothers) & Anor, Hof L [2004] 1 AC 1101.
• Z v UK [2001] 2 FLR 612.
• S v Gloucestershire County Council, C of A [2000] FLR 825.
• Heil v Rankin [2000] 2 WLR 1173.
• X v Bedfordshire CC [1995] 2AC 663.