Simple
May have been bad screening on your part, but a very simple solution to ending "the sh1ts" is to PAY THE MAN WHAT IS OWED!
Moniker? Who cares? You know how it is for 95% of us on this forum. Evidently something keeps you coming back.
Contracts for everyone are questionable at best now, yada,yada,yada, but he worked for you, so if his side is to be believed, YOU owe HIM. If your side, what a big screwup if one person can ruin a contract, but then again, I think I mentioned the whole bad screening thing...
Good luck to all. Makes for interesting reading.