Please help - wanting to settle or withdraw due to privacy concerns
England & Wales
I raised a disability discrimination claim through the ET and have a case management preliminary hearing in a few weeks time.
I’ve recently done my disability impact statement and decided I can no longer proceed with the claim. I have a progressive condition and these proceedings have set me mentally on the absolute edge. My levels of anxiety are completely unbearable and I haven’t slept for more than 3 hours each night for roughly a week. My physical condition worsens due to stress so the need to get this sorted quickly is dire.
My main concern is my name being published in relation to my claim - how can i back out and ensure there’s no record of my name anywhere? no hearings have taken place yet.
I have previously received a low offer to settle from the respondent through ACAS. I declined at the time but have now had a change of heart, due to my current condition, and would like to accept. There’s no guarantee the respondent would still agree, but it would just be to put this nightmare behind me, and from what i understand, ensure my name is not published anywhere - can someone confirm this is the case, please?
If the offer is no longer on the table, I would like withdraw my claim, but i have read that the withdrawal of the claim may be published, which makes me feel as though there’s no way out. Is this correct? i would also worry about a costs order.
I’ve not applied for an anonymity order because of how scarcely they are approved, and because i worry that if i made it clear that my disability and name being made public is prohibitive to me seeking justice, then i’ve shown my hand to the respondent and they would see no need to settle as they know i wouldn’t proceed to final hearing (if denied).
Please, please help. I’m desperately sad that it has come to this, but i see no choice. my name is highly identifiable and if my name were published, i worry for the impact on my career as i’m in a highly specialised field that i’ve studied for years for. not to mention my disability being made public.