West Virginia AG Announces Settlement with Collector Riddle & Associates

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw announced Wednesday that his office has settled with a Utah-based collection law firm over letters sent to consumers in his state attempting to collect on DIRECTV debt. The company will pay a $5,000 fine and is barred from collecting DIRECTV accounts in West Virginia.

McGraw’s office said that Salt Lake City-based collection law firm Riddle & Associates, P.C. had sent letters to 292 West Virginia residents that threatened to add attorney fees and collection costs to their DIRECTV debt unless the account was promptly paid in full. The addition of fees as laid out in the letters is a violation of West Virginia consumer laws.

Riddle claims that the letters were sent in error and that the firm immediately corrected the error as soon as it was discovered. McGraw’s office had previously reached a settlement with Riddle in 2004 over the exact same language used in the letters.

McGraw’s office accepted Riddle’s explanation of an error and insisted that the law firm and its client, DIRECTV, forgive some $58,000 in debt owed by the 292 West Virginia citizens.

McGraw said in a statement, "Although we accept Riddle’s explanation that the letter was sent in error, it was still necessary to require Riddle to take additional measures to insure continued compliance with state and federal debt collection law in the future. I am satisfied that the actions taken by Riddle and DIRECTV have resolved the concerns of my office about the West Virginia consumers who received the objectionable letter."