Shocking reason Elon Musk 'threatened me with deportation'

Cristina Balan said she was forced to resign from her position in 2014 after trying to bring a braking system flaw in the Model S to Elon Musk's attention.

The Romanian -born engineer discovered that the car's floor mats could potentially hinder a driver's ability to brake.

After Balan 's resignation, Tesla released a statement in 2017 claiming she had stolen company resources to work on a personal project.

This pushed the whistleblower to sue the company for defamation, even while she was battling cancer over the last decade .

An appeals court has just ruled that the previous court did not have the authority to rule against Balan .

Now, the engineer hopes this major legal win will lead to a public court battle.

The original arbitrator in the case ruled in favor of Musk and Tesla in 2021 , dismissing Balan 's claims due to California 's statute of limitations.

Tesla took the case back to a district court in California to have the arbitrator's verdict confirmed.

Balan appealed the ruling to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit .

Three appeals judges sided with her, cancelling the arbitration ruling for Tesla and adding the district court did not have the jurisdiction to make a ruling in this matter.