IPSWICH, Mass. – AT&T Inc. says it’s dropping its legal fight against a Massachusetts businessman whose company was on the hook for a fraudulent million-dollar phone bill.
The telecommunications company said in a statement Monday it is no longer pursuing its claims against Michael Smith of Ipswich, “though we are entitled by law to collect the amounts owed.”
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Smith said the offer depends on his dropping a countersuit. He’ll meet with his attorney about it on Tuesday.
Smith says someone hacked into his small manufacturing company’s phone system in 2009 and made nearly $900,000 in calls to Somalia. AT&T sued Smith for $1.15 million to recover the cost of the calls plus interest.
Smith told The Salem News (http://bit.ly/LBXNqG ) he repeatedly asked AT&T to write off the bill. He said paying it could force his business to close.
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Information from: The Salem (Mass.) News, http://www.salemnews.com
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