So obviously the guy needs legal advice, and ASAP. We obviously also only know part of the story, and from his perspective. Still, something here smells really

So obviously the guy needs legal advice, and ASAP. We obviously also only know part of the story, and from his perspective. Still, something here smells really, really bad. As a media professional, my advice is to take this to the public if you can. That means Tech Crunch, AllThingsD, CNET, the Next Web, etc. (I'll also include my own employer, Mashable, where I'm the entertainment editor but often end up being the defacto point person for stuff that's developer-centric) Not knowing the facts around the situation, I'm inclined to say focus on getting public attention as early as possible, especially if you're worried about being able to get a response submitted to the court by the deadline. On that note, I would ask your lawyer friends what would be involved in requesting an extension, because if you want to fight this, you will need more time. Finally, even though this is a labor of love and not one of profit, after you get through the eye of the storm, it might be time to shit or get off the pot regarding the service. After all, if you're looking at wanting to invest a lot into the legal defense of this project, it might be time to start looking at how you can transition it from a hobby side-project into more of a real business. If you aren't interested in making that transition, you need to evaluate the costs -- not just in terms of money, but in terms of time and effort -- in this particular hobby.