Can an employee of a company with whom he used to work obtain trade secrets from his former employer in order to enter into a competitor's business?

In the W.J. Christie v. Greer de cision this court commented on the free dom of an "ordinary employee" to compete with a former employer. It seems to me that the following quotation is applic able to the Kronsons in the present case. There is nothing to prevent an or dinary employee from terminating his employment, and normally that employee is free to compete with his former em ployer. The right to compete freely may be constrained by contract. It would be improper, too, for an employ ee to purloin trade secrets or confi dential information, including custom er lists.