Cristina Balan, a former Tesla engineer, has scored a major legal win in her years-long battle against Elon Musk and the company. Fired in 2014 after raising concerns about a safety issue involving curled carpets under brake pedals, Balan has fought to clear her name ever since.
Balan also revealed that she is battling stage-3B breast cancer, and she’s worried that she may not live to see her name cleared in court.
Though a defamation lawsuit she filed in 2019 was initially dismissed through arbitration, a federal appeals court has now overturned that decision, ruling the lower court lacked jurisdiction. This reversal means Balan can restart her case… potentially taking Musk and Tesla to open court.
Once a rising star at Tesla, with her initials etched on Model S batteries, Balan says she’s ready to face Musk directly and finally clear her name after being accused of misusing company resources… claims she strongly denies.
Tesla has yet to comment on the ruling.
