> why doesn't Alan find a lawyer to sue Disney on contingent?

A lawsuit will take years, and Foster provides quite a good reason to suggest that delayed recovery has substantially discounted value, so while that would be a possible route to recovery (probably for his estate by the time it was resolved), a quick resolution now, even if involving less money than a successful suit would recover, would probably be strongly preferred.

That said, I would think that filing suit would be the way to kick that process off, as that would reduce the perception that "ignore him and the issue will go away" might work.