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If you have Robin's contacts, I would suggest you get a lawyer and sue him personally. You have made work for him which hasn't been paid (because the money was taken back).

To my untrained eyes that seems pretty much a classic case of unpaid dues. Just get a consultation with a lawyer either way, it's the surest thing to do.

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He has a contract with Upwork, Upwork has a contract with Robin, so Upwork is the one that should be on the hook for this and they should go after Robin if they want to try and recoup their loss.

Name both in the lawsuit. Someone has to pay for the work done.

I have a friend who used to be a commercial lawyer - she said one of the things that disillusioned her about the job is that regardless of contract it was often the case the party most able to be made to bear the loss ended up losing (ie whoever had insurance).

It’s easier for Upwork to force the contractor to work for free than to sue ‘Robin’ because suing is difficult and costly, and the contractor is over a barrel if he wants to continue with Upwork.

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