This whole situation is really sad. I don't know if he violated any terms of his contract or not (and I take him at his word that he didn't reuse code), but I c

This whole situation is really sad. I don't know if he violated any terms of his contract or not (and I take him at his word that he didn't reuse code), but I certainly understand his position that his family and livelihood are more important than fighting some lawsuit. That said, I think this highlights and important point -- when you work on outside projects that are even tangentially related to your full-time job (and by that, I mean, if you are an engineer, any software you write, not just stuff associated with what you write at work), it's important to get that cleared and approved in your contract. Preferably at the time of hiring. I'm a writer and reporter. I can't make money or even contribute articles for free to a publication that could be considered a competitor -- that's obviously clear. But when I was hired, I was working on a few freelance projects that were not directly related to my main employer. I got it in writing that those projects (including things like podcasts or magazine work) are clear. Every year when I review my contract, I make sure those points remain intact, along with the new names of other projects I work on. But if I were to start another creative project, even one that on the surface didn't intersect or compete with my employer, and I didn't get that cleared (or I didn't already have the ability t do so in my contract), that would absolutely be a problem.