Jinn, torts have nothing to do with guilt. Absolutely nothing. Torts have to do with financial damages. Guilt has to do with criminal proceedings, which this isn't. It's an obvious civil action.
Were I Mr. Rudge, I'd call whoever wrote me the letter, inform them that I'm recording the conversation (Illinois is a 1 party state), tell them in no uncertain terms that if they have no valid debt and that as soon as their suit appeared, I'd immediately file a countersuit for malicious harrassment under the
Fair Debt Collecting Act. It can be done by the individual in small claims court. That's all predicated on me doing absolutely nothing wrong, as it seems with Mr. Rudge.
Thing is, debt collectors, who are sometimes lawyers, are at the bottom of the pond. They're scum-eaters. Many of the people they go after are scum, and the debt collectors are rightfully pursuing them. But when they go to these extremes, there are federal laws in place to stop them.
Now, I've got no problem at all with companies going after actual criminals. I only get my dander up in cases like this, or when debt collectors do other things to find debtors.