Watkins v. Peterson Enterprises, Inc.

In an action alleging violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692a-1692o, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington certified three questions relating to whether RCW 6.27 allows a creditor to recover attorney fees and taxable costs when filing successive writs of garnishment absent a judgment against the garnishee. Plaintiffs Percy Watkins and Diane Bohnet maintain that the statute not only precludes automatic and cumulative recovery of such costs, particularly where a writ is unsuccessful, but also that a creditor must obtain a separate…