A Tesla whistleblower who has fought Elon Musk and his company through the courts for years has won the latest round of a long-running legal battle.
Engineer Cristina Balan lost her job after she raised a safety concern in 2014 about a design flaw which could affect the cars' braking.
Her defamation claim against the firm seemed to have run out of road when a judge confirmed an arbitration decision dismissing her case - but a panel of appeal judges in California has reversed this decision in her favour.
She told BBC News she now wants to face Elon Musk and Tesla in open court.
Tesla has not responded to a request for comment.
Ms Balan said she believes the case will now in effect go back to square one, and new proceedings can be launched.
"We are hoping we will start a new lawsuit and we will have the chance to take on Elon Musk in front of a jury and judge," she said.
The engineer was once so prominent at Tesla that her initials were engraved on the batteries inside Model S vehicles.
In an interview with BBC News last year, she said she is determined to prove her innocence for the sake of her son.
She also revealed she was in remission from stage-3B breast cancer, and her biggest worry was she may not live to see her final day in court.
Ms Balan claimed she was worried the carpets were curling underneath some pedals in Tesla models, creating a safety hazard.
She said managers rebuffed her concerns, became hostile, and she lost her job.
She then won a wrongful dismissal...
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