Selma Blair has pleaded not guilty after she was arrested for allegedly injuring two flight attendants and trying to open a plane door while experiencing a “medical emergency.”
Us can confirm that Blair, 54, pleaded not guilty on Monday, October 12, after she was charged with two counts of assault, one on a police officer and another on a nurse.
The FBI has also issued a summons charging her with assault related to her alleged actions on the flight, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Blair’s bail was set at $20,000 cash, $60,000 bond or a $60,000 partially secured bond. She was released Monday.
“This was not an intentional assault,” her lawyer Shawn Barnes told a judge during Blair’s arraignment at Queens Criminal Court in New York City on Monday, explaining that the actress has multiple sclerosis (MS) and had “missed several doses of … a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms” prior to her flight, per Page Six.
“Ms. Blair boarded this flight [from Los Angeles] after being on set and working extensive hours and exhaustive hours in the days leading up to this flight,” he told the court. “Additionally, at one point, during the flight, there was an incident where Miss Blair actually fell and hit her head. These factors, coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation.”
The FBI is investigating the incident, which occurred aboard a Delta flight that had arrived from LAX airport. In a statement to Us, the JFK Port Authority Police Department shared that authorities responded to a call on Sunday, October 11, about a “physically abusive passenger,” who was identified as Blair.
“She was taken into custody and transported to the hospital for evaluation,” the statement read. “Two flight attendants also reported injuries, and one was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. The FBI is investigating this incident.”
TMZ reported that Blair attempted to open the aircraft door while the plane was in the air, which led to an alleged confrontation with the crew. In dispatch audio obtained by the outlet, officials
requested medical personnel at the gate and reported minor injuries, including a bloody nose and bite marks.
Blair was put in restraints on the plane and arrested upon landing, TMZ reported. She was taken to the hospital for evaluation. In a criminal complaint obtained by Us, a Port Authority police officer reported that when she was trying to secure Blair onto a stretcher at JFK Airport, the actress “removed her leg from the stretcher straps and kicked [the officer] repeatedly about the face, neck and chest.”
“The above-mentioned actions of the defendant caused [the officer] swelling to her jaw and substantial pain to her face, neck and chest,” the complaint read.
In the same document, a nurse at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens alleged that Blair kicked her in the chest while she was being transported for treatment.
“[Blair’s actions allegedly] caused substantial pain to [the nurse’s] chest,” authorities wrote in the complaint.
In a statement shared with Us, Blair’s rep said she “experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct,” adding, “Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”
Blair’s next court hearing will take place on January 19, 2027.
