"Given its conduct, IBM's claim that it will suffer irreparable harm or hardship due to 'inevitable disclosure' of 'trade secrets' is absurd," Papermaster continued.

Elsewhere in the filing, Papermaster revealed that Apple had approached him in January 2008, and after talking with him about an unspecified position, it offered him a position developing computer hardware. Papermaster declined the offer, however.

In September, Apple again contacted Papermaster, which led to more meetings with Jobs and others in early October. After he declined a counteroffer from IBM and another, separate offer to "sit out" for a year in exchange for his current base salary, Papermaster told IBM he had made up his mind and was going to Apple.

"The job at Apple is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Mr. Papermaster," his filing said. "If Mr. Papermaster is forced to 'sit out' of the electronics industry, he will not be able to find a comparable position in a year -- indeed, it is questionable whether a truly 'comparable' position even exists."

However, Friday's ruling by Karas puts Papermaster's employment with Apple on hold. In his order, Karas slated a conference for Nov. 18, and he told the parties to "discuss beforehand, an expedited scheduled for discovery and trial."

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