That client who tried to claim my logo design was 'inspired by public domain'

I had a client last year for a local bakery in Austin who straight up told me they didn't need to pay for my logo because it was close enough to a public domain image they found online. They sent me a screenshot of some generic flour sack graphic from 1920 and said my work was basically a copy. I had to sit down and trace out the 14 hours I spent sketching custom flourishes and lettering that matched their brand name exactly. Pulled up my original vector files with timestamps and compared them side by side to that old image. Not a single curve matched. I forwarded them a formal invoice plus a late fee and told them I'd file a DMCA takedown on their website if they didn't pay within 7 days. They folded after 3 days and paid the full $800. Has anyone else had to fight a client who tried to use the public domain excuse to get out of paying?

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