Like other comments, I wish, that unlike your accusers, you would not engage on the same level of public mudslinging as it will hurt you professionally.
That said, there is a significant difference between paying someone and getting a refund, and not paying altogether.
A better recourse would have been to go to court to get your payment back, and have independent professionals (as you already did yourself) grade the work completed. Note that in these cases the software is graded by its "peers" (average programmers), meaning that if the work is deemed "barely" acceptable, you will not see your money back.
I hope you the best on this issue and also hope that hackernews will not be used as a platform for legal/code-theft arbitration in the future.
That said, there is a significant difference between paying someone and getting a refund, and not paying altogether.
A better recourse would have been to go to court to get your payment back, and have independent professionals (as you already did yourself) grade the work completed. Note that in these cases the software is graded by its "peers" (average programmers), meaning that if the work is deemed "barely" acceptable, you will not see your money back.
I hope you the best on this issue and also hope that hackernews will not be used as a platform for legal/code-theft arbitration in the future.