Maybe "functional" is a valid adjective, but "effective" is not. If the guy had gotten on a phone with a lawyer, and the lawyer said "All you need to is go to small claims court against x and bring Y" that might have made things possible.

The awful interface of our legal system is one of the key ways that the less wealthy and less educated get an unfair treatment. Any wealthy person would get this reversed and get their legal fees paid for too.