Consumer Law, Warranties Breach of Service Agreement

[hswen]

I recently hired a service provider to work on my project. I've made 50% deposit as he requested in order for him to start.

Last Sunday he sent me an email to express his intention to cancel my service agreement and refund my deposit. I told him that I'll respect his decision and asked him to start initiate the refund. However, he changed his mind about full refund.

Do I have a case against him for breach of service agreement?
Am I entitle a full refund and financial compensation for my time spent in finding his replacement and interruption to my project?
Can I file my case with a US court since my service provider resides in British Columbia, Canada?

 

[dee_dub]

Do I have a case against him for breach of service agreement?

Is there some magic to the words "service agreement", or is it just a straight breach of contract? He hasn't done what he contracted to do. Sounds like you have a case.

Am I entitle a full refund and financial compensation for my time spent in finding his replacement and interruption to my project?

Unclear. If he's done nothing of any value to you, then I would say you should be entitled to a full refund. You probably won't get compensated for your time spent in finding a replacement, but you might get damages for interruption.

Can I file my case with a US court since my service provider resides in British Columbia, Canada?

How much is it worth? And what's the small claims limit where you live? If it's a small claims matter, you probably need to sue in BC where the defendant lives. You also might run into difficulty trying to collect on any judgment you receive.