British News Agency

Engineer Cristina Balan lost her job in 2014 after raising safety concerns over a design flaw that could have affected vehicle braking.

Her defamation lawsuit against the company appeared to be over after a judge upheld an arbitration ruling that dismissed her case. But a panel of appellate judges in California overturned that ruling in her favor.

Balan told BBC News she now wants to face Elon Musk and Tesla in open court.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

Balan said she believes the case is now effectively starting over and that a new trial could be initiated. “We hope to file a new case and have the chance to hold Elon Musk accountable before a jury and judge,” she said.

The engineer was once so important at Tesla that her initials were engraved on the batteries inside Model S vehicles.

In an interview with BBC News last year, Balan said she was determined to prove her innocence for her son’s sake.