As a 1K you should probably know better than to book a connecting trip on separate tickets.
That being said, I would write a letter to United and include receipts for all of the extra expenses incurred because of the divert to IAD. Include the change fee/additional fare you had to pay Qantas, hotel, meal expenses in LA, and any penalties you had to pay in Australia since you were delayed a day I assume the hotel charged you for the first night you weren't there too.
If you don't get any satisfaction from UA from your letter then consider filing in small claims court in Pittsburgh. United doesn't have a very large presence in Pittsburgh so you'll probably receive a default judgment since they probably won't go through the expense of sending a representative to court.
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