Tesla whistleblower and former engineer Cristina Balan has won a yearlong legal fight against Elon Musk and his company.
According to Financial Express, Balan was terminated in 2014 after raising concerns about a design flaw that could affect the braking system of the electric car.
Tesla also publicly accused her of using its resources for a "secret project,” which she denied, and filed a defamation case against Tesla and Elon Musk in 2019, claiming that her reputation was damaged.
She told BBC last year, “I want to clear my name. I wish Elon Musk had the decency to apologise."
Initially Balan lost her battle when a judge upheld an arbitration ruling against her, but then her legal fight took a new turn after a California appeals court overturned that decision. The judges from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found in her favour.
The court noted, “We vacate the order confirming the arbitration award and remand this action to the district court with instructions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.”
After winning the appeal, she expressed, “I won. I won the appeal against Elon Musk and Tesla. First appeal, Musk and Tesla lost… First ex-Tesla immigrant woman engineer who fought Musk as a Pro Se!”
Balan, who is currently battling stage 3B breast cancer, told BBC that she is planning to start a new lawsuit that could bring the richest man in the world in front of a “jury and judge.” However, she fears that she might not survive long enough to witness the final court verdict.
