A law firm facing retaliation claims by a former associate over a scuttled lateral move is seeking to preclude several witnesses from testifying in the trial scheduled to take place next month in federal court.

Anapol Schwartz, which faces a retaliation claim from plaintiff Jeffrey Downs, filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Aug. 27 seeking to have current and former officials at the firm barred from testifying at trial.

The motion also sought to preclude evidence related to defamation and false-light claims Downs had asserted, but were dismissed by U.S. District Judge L. Felipe Restrepo earlier this month.