Families of crew members who died when El Faro sank have asked a federal judge to cancel mediation in their wrongful death litigation against US shipowner TOTE Maritime while they continue to fight for access to key evidence.

The request by lawyers for those families that have yet to reach settlements with the Saltchuk subsidiary come as they resist efforts by TOTE to secure a protective order that would still allow the company to withhold some information, including documents that would be an "embarassment" to the company.

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