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Two months after filing a lawsuit against Qwest Communications, the director of the Utah Division of Consumer Protection says she now hopes the phone company will negotiate a settlement rather than fight in court.
In late October, the division filed a court complaint against the state's largest telephone service provider, claiming the company repeatedly lied to many Utah consumers and intentionally engaged in deceptive sales practices.
The state wants Qwest to pay as much as two thousand, five hundred dollars for every time the company has violated Utah's unfair practices law. The state consumer protection division has been swamped with calls from people complaining about Qwest.
Qwest spokeswoman Caroline Roemer says the company does not comment on pending lawsuits. In a separate claim in Colorado, Qwest agreed to pay one million dollars, plus an undisclosed amount to compensate its customers.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
