TCW defendant wants his information to be kept confidential

Jess Ravich, a defendant in a lawsuit by Sara Tirschwell, former TCW distressed debt fund manager who suing the firm for allegedly firing her in retaliation for lodging a sexual harassment complaint against Mr. Ravich, is seeking to keep his personal documents confidential, according to a letter filed by his attorney.

TCW and another defendant, David Lippmann, its president and CEO, filed a separate letter concurring with Mr. Ravich's contention. Mr. Ravich said he wants to keep personal information private to ensure the information is not "misused." If he is successful, Ms. Tirschwell asserted in a prior letter, this confidentiality agreement would go beyond the model created by the New York City Bar Association.

Ms. Tirschwell is requesting an expedited a pretrial conference to be held before depositions, are scheduled to start May 31 to resolve document production and other discovery issues. Defendants counter that her request for an earlier conference date is premature because they are not yet at an impasse in trying to resolve their differences themselves.

In his letter, Mr. Ravich contends that Ms. Tirschwell's request for a expedited pretrial conference date and request that personal information not be kept secret "because she prefers to litigate her case in the public arena rather than in court."