body: Several years ago a friend of mine, had a friend who was also one of his employees, build him a personal blog on the side. This blog is very popular, because my friend is a radio personality. 
  
  
  My friend the radio personality paid the guy for his extra work, he paid for the domain name, the hosting etc. But everything on the domain and hosting site was done through the employees name and employees login credentials so the employee could manage the site. 
  
  
  flash forward a few years, the employee went rogue, started lying about things, going behind peoples backs and was no longer able to be an employee at the company, he was let go. 
  
  
  My friend contacted and paid the man to transfer all of the files from his domain over to a new domain in my friends name, but it was never done, the former employee when contacted as to why the exchange never too place is claiming "issues" with transferring over the files.
  
  
  This employee has my friends website root files and all of the domain information and is now completely unresponsive to contact. There were no contracts signed regarding the website, there were no legally binding agreements besides checks being cashed. What teeth does my friend have to get the web files from his rogue former employee?
  
  
  there is no desire to sue for any damages, the only desire is to get the websites files and not have to build from scratch again. Which I can do, but it would not be preferred.
  
  
  
title: what legal action can be taken when no contractual agreement was signed but money changed hands?