By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters). Tesla Inc. has requested a U.S. judge to uphold an arbitrator’s dismissal of a former engineer’s claim that the automaker fired him and made her defame for raising concerns over defective floormats.

Tesla (NASDAQ) claimed that a tribunal ruled in favor of Cristina Balan’s claim that she was falsely accused by the company in relation to an article in 2017 Huffington Post about her firing.

Balan, an arbitrator of defamation claims, was ordered by a California appels court to decide the matter. The claim were directly connected to Balan’s employment at Tesla.

On Thursday, the company asked for confirmation of the decision by the court. This opens up the possibility that Balan could challenge the ruling.

Balan stated in email Friday that she will seek to cancel the arbitral award due to “fraud, corruption, bias…and manifest disregard for law.”

Balan claimed that she was fired after she sent an email to Tesla CEO Elon Musk in which she claimed contracts were being given based on friendships, regardless of their quality or price.

Balan also expressed concern about the Model S’s floormats curling under Tesla’s pedals.

Tesla stated that she was fired because of using company time for a personal project, and recording calls with coworkers.

According to court filings, Tesla had previously praised Balan’s work before her firing. She also credited her with designing a battery pack design, which is what was revealed in court filings.