Cristina Balan, a former Tesla engineer turned whistleblower, has just secured a significant legal victory in her prolonged fight against Elon Musk’s automaker.
Her battle started back in 2014 when Balan flagged an issue with carpets reportedly curling under pedals in certain Tesla models, which she believed posed a serious braking hazard. Her concerns, she says, were ignored, and she soon found herself out of a job. What followed was a years-long legal odyssey marked by accusations, courtroom setbacks, and a deeply personal struggle behind the scenes.
Though Balan initially won a wrongful dismissal case, her journey didn’t end there. She filed a defamation lawsuit against Tesla in 2019 after the company publicly accused her of misusing company resources for a “secret project” — a claim she flatly denies and considers defamatory.
But her defamation case hit a wall when an arbitrator dismissed it based on California’s statute of limitations. Tesla then brought the arbitrator’s decision to a California district court to have it officially confirmed. For a while, that seemed to mark the end of the road for Balan’s case.
Until now.
A panel of judges from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reversed the district court’s ruling, stating that it lacked jurisdiction in the matter. That ruling cancels the prior confirmation of the arbitration award and reopens the door for Balan’s defamation claim to proceed, potentially at trial.
In a statement to the BBC, Balan said she hopes this means she can now go to court and finally face Musk and Tesla in front of a judge and jury.
“I want to clear my name,” she said. “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.”
Balan, once a key engineer whose initials were engraved inside Tesla’s Model S battery units, also revealed she’s in remission from stage-3B breast cancer. She has said her determination to see this case through stems from a promise to her son and a desire to vindicate her name.
Her attorney, Bill Moran, says the recent appellate decision has “revived” her case and allows them to push for either a new arbitration or a courtroom trial. “She is the epitome of strength and resolve,” he said, “and she is now one step closer to getting the justice she deserves.”
Tesla has yet to issue any public response to the ruling.
