A former Tesla engineer, Cristina Balan, has won a major victory in her long legal fight against billionaire businessman Elon Musk and Tesla.
Balan lost her job in 2014 after she raised a safety concern about the company’s electric cars. She said the carpets inside some Tesla vehicles were curling under the pedals, which could affect the brakes and put drivers at risk.
Although she was later fired, Balan said she was only trying to protect customers.
“I want to clear my name,” she told BBC News. “I wish Elon Musk had the decency to apologise.”
After her dismissal, Tesla accused her of using company resources for a “secret project,” which she said was false and damaging to her reputation. In 2019, she filed a defamation case against the company.
Tesla responded by pushing the case into private arbitration, saying she had signed an agreement while working there. An arbitrator dismissed her claims, saying too much time had passed since the alleged defamation happened.
Tesla then returned to a California district court to confirm the arbitration ruling, but Balan appealed.
Now, judges from the US Court of Appeals have ruled in her favour. They said the lower court did not have the power to make that judgment and ordered the decision to be thrown out.
Balan believes this win means the case can now begin again, and she hopes to finally face Elon Musk in open court.
“We are hoping we will start a new lawsuit and we will have the chance to take on Elon Musk in front of a jury and judge,” she said.
Balan, once a top engineer at Tesla, had her initials “CB” engraved on the batteries of the Model S car. She told BBC News she is fighting not just for herself, but also for her young son.
She has also battled breast cancer in the middle of her legal struggle and is now in remission.
