Can I Be Sued For Copyright/ Plagiarism For A Book Commission Someone Never Paid For? In Texas

Hello everyone,

I recently completed a commission for a children’s book where I was responsible for the writing, illustrations, and printing—the entire project. The client was my neighbor, and we agreed that payment would be collected upon completion. However, when the project was finished, she refused to pay me and demanded that I send her the file and a printed copy for free. I declined.

Since then, she has been harassing me and threatening to sue if I don’t hand over the file. She claims that I have used her book and the likeness of her story in my promotional materials. This accusation is entirely false. The samples I’ve posted online to showcase my work are original projects and do not reference her or her son in any way. The storylines are not even remotely similar.

Additionally, I wrote the story for her book from scratch, making up the events and characters. Now, she’s claiming that the events in the story are based on her real-life experiences and is accusing me of illegally using them. This is not true—I have not used her life experiences in my work, nor am I distributing or selling her book.

I’m unsure whether she has any grounds to sue me, especially since she never paid for the work, and I am not using her book in any way. I would appreciate any advice on how to handle this situation.

Thank you.