I wonder if a court would see it that way, rather than a simple exchange of considerations, in which the employee failed to hold up his end of the deal? Maybe

I wonder if a court would see it that way, rather than a simple exchange of considerations, in which the employee failed to hold up his end of the deal? Maybe this employer didn't have an employment lawyer draft or review the contract for them, and the law holds that the employee can treat it as an "interest free, unsecured loan with no minimum payment and no unspecified term." Or maybe they don't really care about $35K or whether the employees they give signing bonuses uphold their end of the agreement. It's possible, but I have my doubts.