[fasteo]

He seems to have a mental blockage with this situation. Some years later and he still needs to write about it and ask for advice. He is probably taking this as an excuse for others unrelated things happening in his life (this is very subjective, but I was in a somehow similar situation years ago)

A legal action is just a way to put a definitive end to all this. The outcome is not important; he will feel liberated, even if he loses.