2 weeks Ago By Priya Singh
Cristina Balan, a former Tesla engineer who raised safety concerns about a potential braking flaw in 2014, has won a significant victory in her years-long legal battle against Elon Musk and the company. After being fired and initially losing her defamation case when a judge upheld an arbitration ruling against her, Balan’s fight took a turn when a California appeals court overturned that decision, reviving her claim and marking a major step forward in her pursuit of justice. Balan told BBC News that her legal battle with Tesla is effectively starting over, with hopes of launching a new lawsuit that would allow her to face Elon Musk in front of a jury and judge.
This was the interview BBC made with me last year...
. https://t.co/XemUaurGlF — Cristina Balan - STOP Forced Arbitration (@CristinaIBalan) April 17, 2025 Once a prominent engineer at the company—with her initials engraved on Model S batteries—Balan remains determined to clear her name, driven by a desire to prove her innocence for her son.
In a previous interview, she also revealed she was in remission from stage-3B breast cancer and feared she might not live to see the end of her court fight. ALSO SEE: Google’s Gemini AI Now Creates Cinematic Videos From Simple Prompts For the unversed, Balan raised concerns about a safety hazard in Tesla vehicles, claiming that curling carpets under the pedals posed a potential danger. After her warnings were dismissed by management and tensions escalated, she was fired—though she later won a wrongful dismissal case.
I WON 🙌 I WON THE APEAL AGAINST ELON MUSK AND TESLA !!!! FIRST APEAL MUSK AND TESLA LOST! I AM GRATEFUL FOR MY AMAZING FRIEND AND LAWYER WILLIAM MORAN @BillAlwaysWins who believed in me First ex Tesla immigrant Woman Engineer Who fight Musk as a Pro Se! A lot of Firsts! pic.twitter.com/DEkpVN9wKU — Cristina Balan - STOP Forced Arbitration (@CristinaIBalan) April 14, 2025 However, her legal journey didn’t end there.
Tesla publicly accused her of using company resources for a "secret project," effectively alleging embezzlement, which she has firmly denied. In response, Balan filed a defamation lawsuit against the company in 2019, determined to clear her name. She said that she wants to clear her name.
She further added, “I wish Elon Musk had the decency to apologise." Balan’s defamation case against Tesla was initially dismissed in arbitration due to California’s statute of limitations, and Tesla sought to confirm that ruling in district court. However, Balan appealed, and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in her favor, stating that the district court lacked the jurisdiction to confirm the arbitration award.
The appellate court ordered the dismissal of Tesla’s action, effectively reopening the door for Balan to continue her legal fight..
