Tesla whistleblower Cristina Balan has won a significant legal victory in her long-standing battle with the electric vehicle giant. Balan, a former Tesla engineer, was fired in 2014 after raising concerns about a potential braking issue, specifically curling carpets under the pedals in Model S vehicles, which she believed posed a safety risk. After being dismissed, she filed a wrongful termination case, which she won—marking the start of a years-long legal fight.
In 2019, Balan sued Tesla for defamation, alleging the company falsely accused her of embezzling funds for a “secret project,” a claim she has consistently denied. While an earlier arbitration ruled in Tesla’s favor, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has now overturned that decision, stating the district court lacked jurisdiction and ordering the arbitration award to be nullified.
Speaking to the BBC, Balan expressed her determination to now pursue Tesla and Elon Musk in open court, hoping for a trial before a judge and jury to fully clear her name. Once a prominent figure at Tesla, with her initials engraved inside the Model S batteries, Balan is now fighting not just for justice but also for personal closure. A cancer survivor currently in remission, she shared that her goal is to see the case through no matter the outcome.
