Hi all..Newbie here..Need legal advice

I got this problem about the unpaid bills (electric and telephone/dsl) of the previous owner of the house I assumed. I didn't notice it after I paid the assumed amount and moved in. Only to find out the following month when the bills of the electricity arrived at my mailbox there are still this huge unpaid previous consumption of their electricity. Now the coop are telling me to pay for it. Same with the telephone/dsl which I personally submit my application for the telephone/dsl in the same company where the previous owner of the house used to have. The tel. co. wont accept my application because the residence I assumed were in their blacklist and need to be settled by the previous owner. Then I contacted the previous owner and complained about this and refused to settle the accounts they used to have. Now I'm seeking for help what legal advice you can offer me in order to solve this problem calmly my brothers and sisters. Big thanks and more power.

go after the previous owner.