To be fair to the original author/freelancer, they didn't "complain on HN." They wrote a blog post, and someone shared it on HN. But yes, this does seem like s

To be fair to the original author/freelancer, they didn't "complain on HN." They wrote a blog post, and someone shared it on HN. But yes, this does seem like something for the courts to sort out. In Saskatchewan, I'd use Small Claims Court (inexpensive, no lawyer needed); I guess there is something similar in the freelancer's jurisdiction.