KEY POINT
- Selma Blair faces state assault charges following alleged encounters with a police officer and a nurse after a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York.
- Her attorney, Shawn Barnes, attributed the incident to a medical emergency, citing a head injury, missed medication and severe confusion.
- A judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond, while the FBI investigates the airline incident and separate federal charges are also reported.
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, officers responded to reports of a physically abusive passenger aboard Flight 938 on Sunday night. Blair was identified as the passenger and taken into custody before being transported to a hospital for evaluation.
Two flight attendants reported injuries, and one was taken to the hospital for further assessment. CNN reported, citing a law enforcement source, that Blair allegedly bit one attendant and left another with lacerations. Reports also described efforts to restrain her during the incident.
The circumstances aboard the aircraft remain part of the investigation. Audio obtained by CNN from ATC.com indicated that medical personnel had been requested to meet the arriving flight. The dispatch recording referenced a bloody nose and bite marks but did not establish who sustained each injury.
Blair appeared in court on Monday evening and pleaded not guilty to two state assault charges involving a police officer and a nurse.
According to court documents described in the reports, a Port Authority officer alleged that Blair freed one leg from the straps while being secured to a stretcher and kicked the officer repeatedly around the face, neck and chest. The complaint said the officer experienced substantial pain and swelling.
A separate allegation involved a nurse who was moving Blair for additional treatment at the hospital. The nurse reported being kicked in the chest and experiencing substantial pain.
Judge Indira Khan set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond and issued an order of protection for the nurse. Blair is expected to return to court on January 19. Reports also indicate that she faces separate federal charges connected to the flight incident, although a federal court appearance date had not been established in the supplied accounts.
Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, argued that the alleged conduct was not intentional. He said the actress had worked long hours, struck her head aboard the aircraft and missed several doses of her medication before experiencing severe confusion and disorientation.
Barnes also said Blair spent approximately seven to eight hours at the hospital before entering police custody and subsequently required further hospital treatment.
The reports identify multiple sclerosis and Parkinsonism as relevant to the defense’s explanation. However, the medical circumstances and their relationship to the alleged conduct have not been established as legal findings.
Blair disclosed in 2018 that she had multiple sclerosis, a disease affecting the central nervous system. Her experience with the condition was also documented in a 2021 film about her treatment and daily life.
The incident has a previous parallel in her history. In 2016, Blair apologized after becoming disruptive on a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles and being removed on a stretcher. She later told Vanity Fair that mixing alcohol with medication had caused her to black out and behave in ways she regretted.
Blair is widely recognized for her roles in Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, the Hellboy franchise and The Sweetest Thing.
The FBI’s New York field office confirmed to CNN that it does not comment on ongoing investigations. Delta Air Lines said it has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior and that law enforcement met the aircraft upon arrival.
The state court proceedings and the separate federal case remain distinct legal matters. The allegations have not been established as proven facts, and Blair’s not-guilty plea means the state charges remain contested.
