Attorney General Phil Weiser announces settlement with a Colorado company for unfair medical debt collection practices

Attorney General Phil Weiser announces settlement with a Colorado company for unfair medical debt collection practices

Sept. 23, 2026 (DENVER) - Attorney General Phil Weiser today announced a settlement with Wakefield & Associates, LLC, resolving allegations that the company engaged in unlawful practices collecting on medical debt from Colorado consumers.

This settlement comes after an investigation by the Colorado Department of Law found that Wakefield filed for default judgment against Coloradans with medical debt without complying with the protections required by SB23-093 (opens new tab). This includes providing evidence of the medical debt prior to the entry of a default judgment. The attorney general championed these protections in 2023 (opens new tab).

"Medical debt can be suffocating," said Attorney General Weiser. "When debt collectors make an already stressful process even worse by breaking the law, we will hold them accountable. Coloradans deserve fair treatment from debt collectors."

According to the settlement (PDF), Wakefield improperly filed for default judgment on medical debt against 44 Colorado accounts. Wakefield will vacate any default judgments entered against these accounts and cannot move to file new judgments until notices and affidavits compliant with the law are provided to those consumers. Additionally, Wakefield will pay $30,000 to the state and must follow the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act going forward.

Consumers who believe they are victims of unfair debt collection can file a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General (opens new tab).

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