This is part of the risk of being a contractor/freelancer. If you want the maximum legal protections around getting paid for your work, you need to be an emplo

This is part of the risk of being a contractor/freelancer. If you want the maximum legal protections around getting paid for your work, you need to be an employee. Beyond that, ultimately it boils down to Robin has not paid for the work performed. The freelancer needs to demand payment from Robin directly, and if he won't pay, file a lawsuit against him if Upwork is not going to help. Will be difficult with Robin apparently being in a different country, and probably not worth it for only $12k, the legal fees and time spent will certainly exceed that amount. Charge it off as a lesson learned, and a 12k business loss on your taxes.