Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has asked a San Francisco federal court to affirm an arbitrator’s November 3 decision dismissing a former engineer’s claims that she was fired and defamed by Tesla for expressing concerns over contracting practices and defective floor mats in Tesla’s Model S.
In a statement received by the Huffington Post, Tesla claimed Balan was fired for using company time to work on a personal project and that Balan illegally recorded conversations with colleagues.
In a petition filed on Thursday, Tesla said an arbitrator recently found that former Tesla engineer Cristina Balan’s claims were untimely. Balan alleged that Tesla accused her of criminal conduct in response to a Huffington Post article from 2017 about her dismissal.
It was ruled by a California appeals court in March that Balan was required to arbitrate the defamation claims because they were directly linked to her employment with Tesla.
On Thursday, Tesla asked the San Francisco federal court to confirm the arbitrator’s decision. Balan said she would seek to vacate the arbitration award in an email sent Friday.
