‘Wish Elon Musk had the decency to apologise’: Tesla whistleblower wins legal victory against Musk

Balan is determined to face Tesla and Elon Musk in a court of law, hoping to finally secure justice.

A long-running legal battle between Tesla and a whistleblower has taken a new turn, with engineer Cristina Balan emerging victorious in the latest round. Balan, who raised a safety concern about a potential braking flaw in Tesla cars in 2014, was fired from the company after she flagged the issue. According to a BBC report, her defamation claim against Tesla had seemed doomed after an arbitration decision dismissed her case. However, an appeal panel in California has reversed that decision in her favor.

Speaking to the BBC, Balan expressed her intent to take on Tesla and 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. The engineer, who had once been so prominent at Tesla that her initials were engraved on the batteries inside Model S vehicles, is eager to clear her name and prove her innocence.

Balan’s legal saga began after she raised concerns about curling carpets beneath the pedals in Tesla models, which she believed posed a safety hazard. According to Balan, her concerns were dismissed by managers, leading to hostile treatment and eventually her dismissal. She subsequently won a wrongful dismissal case, but this marked the beginning of a prolonged legal fight.

In 2019, Balan filed a defamation case against Tesla after being publicly accused of embezzlement related to a “secret project.” Tesla had alleged that Balan misused company resources, an accusation she has consistently denied. Despite the arbitration ruling in favor of Tesla, Balan’s determination to clear her name led to her appealing the decision.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Balan’s favor, overturning the California district court’s confirmation of the arbitration decision. The judges determined that the district court lacked jurisdiction over the matter and ordered the arbitration award to be canceled.

Now, with the legal path cleared, Balan is determined to face Tesla and Elon Musk in a court of law, hoping to finally secure justice. She has previously spoken to the BBC about her personal motivation, revealing that she is in remission from stage-3B breast cancer and that her primary concern was to see the case through before her final day.