Pretty much. I get the impression she lives bill to bill; she says she can't refund because then she can't pay rent, etc.
And yes, I would think she is legally obligated to refund, but the issue for me would be forcing that to occur.

I know it may disappoint many in here, but I am giving her the chance to make good on making some art for me. I don't need the additional stress and worry right now over the legal action possibilities, although I am keeping my options open. She has been in frequent contact with me, and seems intent on making something high quality; yes, unfortunately the parameters have changed and I am not pleased by that, but I would prefer to 'move on' in some way from 9 years of bullshit. That being said, I expressed that I expected to get very frequent updates and that this needed to be high priority for her; if she does not fulfill this, or does not produce something I'm happy with, then yes I will look into legal options. I know some of you will be disappointed that I'm settling for less, or taking the path of least resistance - it's just I don't know whether I can handle the extra stress right now. :(