Another article says that he was a "20-year independent contractor with the company", not an employee. He also had a patent on the device, so presumably he was

Another article says that he was a "20-year independent contractor with the company", not an employee. He also had a patent on the device, so presumably he was pretty careful about IP boundaries. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/florida-inventor-successfully-obtains-21-million-verdict-in-patent-infringement-case-against-home-depot-inc-2010-05-12?reflink=MW_news_stmp http://www.marketwatch.com/story/florida-inventor-successful...