The actor pleaded not guilty to state charges involving a police officer and nurse while a separate federal case concerns allegations aboard a Delta flight.
Selma Blair was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport after authorities said two flight attendants were injured during a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York. The 54-year-old actor was taken into custody Sunday night after Delta Flight 938 reached its gate, and she later faced separate state assault charges involving a police officer and a hospital nurse.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said officers responded at about 11 p.m. to a report of a “physically abusive passenger” aboard the aircraft. Two flight attendants reported injuries, and one was taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Blair was also transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center after her arrest.
A representative for Blair said she experienced a medical emergency during the flight and was in stable condition after receiving treatment. Her lawyers have said the conduct was not intentional.
Details released after the arrest indicate that Blair’s legal problems involve two separate sets of allegations. The incidents involving the flight crew are being handled federally, while the alleged assaults involving a police officer and nurse led to state charges in Queens.
According to charging documents described by the Associated Press, a Port Authority police officer said Blair was being secured to a stretcher when she freed one leg and kicked the officer repeatedly in the face, neck and chest. The officer reported swelling and substantial pain. A nurse at Jamaica Hospital later alleged that Blair kicked her in the chest while Blair was being moved for additional treatment.
Blair was arraigned Monday night in Queens Criminal Court on two counts of second-degree assault. She pleaded not guilty through her attorney, Shawn Barnes. A judge set bail at $20,000 cash, $60,000 bond or a $60,000 partially secured bond, and Blair was later released.
Barnes told the court that Blair had missed several doses of medication used to control severe neurological symptoms. He also said she had been working heavily before the trip and struck her head during the flight. According to the Associated Press, Barnes argued that those circumstances, combined with the effects of altitude, left Blair severely confused and disoriented.
Those statements are part of Blair’s defense and do not establish a medical cause for the alleged conduct. Blair has publicly discussed living with multiple sclerosis since revealing her diagnosis in 2018, but authorities have not said that the condition caused the incident.
The allegations aboard the plane remain under federal jurisdiction. A federal law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the FBI issued Blair a violation notice accusing her of assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The case is expected to be handled through federal petty violations court in Brooklyn, and no date has yet been announced for that appearance.
Air traffic control communications provided another account of the injuries reported before the plane reached the gate. The Delta pilot asked for medical personnel to meet the aircraft because of a bloody nose and bite marks. The pilot also said the disruptive passenger appeared to have struck her head against a bulkhead and might need medical evaluation.
CBS New York reported that law enforcement sources said Blair tried to open a cabin door and had to be restrained for the remainder of the flight. The outlet also reported that one flight attendant was bitten and another suffered a laceration. Those details came from law enforcement sources and have not yet been established in court.
Delta said the flight arrived without an operational disruption and repeated its policy that it has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful conduct. The airline said customer and crew safety remains its priority.
The state charges involving the officer and nurse are separate from the federal allegation tied to events aboard the aircraft. Second-degree assault is a felony under New York law, but any sentence
Selma Blair was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport after authorities said two flight attendants were injured during a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York. The 54-year-old actor was taken into custody Sunday night after Delta Flight 938 reached its gate, and she later faced separate state assault charges involving a police officer and a hospital nurse.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said officers responded at about 11 p.m. to a report of a “physically abusive passenger” aboard the aircraft. Two flight attendants reported injuries, and one was taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Blair was also transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center after her arrest.
A representative for Blair said she experienced a medical emergency during the flight and was in stable condition after receiving treatment. Her lawyers have said the conduct was not intentional.
Details released after the arrest indicate that Blair’s legal problems involve two separate sets of allegations. The incidents involving the flight crew are being handled federally, while the alleged assaults involving a police officer and nurse led to state charges in Queens.
According to charging documents described by the Associated Press, a Port Authority police officer said Blair was being secured to a stretcher when she freed one leg and kicked the officer repeatedly in the face, neck and chest. The officer reported swelling and substantial pain. A nurse at Jamaica Hospital later alleged that Blair kicked her in the chest while Blair was being moved for additional treatment.
Blair was arraigned Monday night in Queens Criminal Court on two counts of second-degree assault. She pleaded not guilty through her attorney, Shawn Barnes. A judge set bail at $20,000 cash, $60,000 bond or a $60,000 partially secured bond, and Blair was later released.
Barnes told the court that Blair had missed several doses of medication used to control severe neurological symptoms. He also said she had been working heavily before the trip and struck her head during the flight. According to the Associated Press, Barnes argued that those circumstances, combined with the effects of altitude, left Blair severely confused and disoriented.
Those statements are part of Blair’s defense and do not establish a medical cause for the alleged conduct. Blair has publicly discussed living with multiple sclerosis since revealing her diagnosis in 2018, but authorities have not said that the condition caused the incident.
The allegations aboard the plane remain under federal jurisdiction. A federal law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the FBI issued Blair a violation notice accusing her of assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The case is expected to be handled through federal petty violations court in Brooklyn, and no date has yet been announced for that appearance.
Air traffic control communications provided another account of the injuries reported before the plane reached the gate. The Delta pilot asked for medical personnel to meet the aircraft because of a bloody nose and bite marks. The pilot also said the disruptive passenger appeared to have struck her head against a bulkhead and might need medical evaluation.
CBS New York reported that law enforcement sources said Blair tried to open a cabin door and had to be restrained for the remainder of the flight. The outlet also reported that one flight attendant was bitten and another suffered a laceration. Those details came from law enforcement sources and have not yet been established in court.
Delta said the flight arrived without an operational disruption and repeated its policy that it has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful conduct. The airline said customer and crew safety remains its priority.
The state charges involving the officer and nurse are separate from the federal allegation tied to events aboard the aircraft. Second-degree assault is a felony under New York law, but any sentence would depend on the specific charge, the evidence, court rulings and the outcome of the case. Blair is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Blair is scheduled to return to court on January 19, 2027, in connection with the state case. No date has been announced for the federal proceeding.
The actor is known for roles in Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde and Hellboy. In recent years, she has also become a prominent disability-rights advocate and has spoken publicly about her experience with multiple sclerosis. In 2023, she joined President Joe Biden at a White House event marking the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The 2026 incident is not Blair’s first widely reported problem during air travel. In 2016, she apologized after an episode on a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles, saying she had mixed alcohol with medication and blacked out. That earlier event did not involve the current criminal charges.
The new case remains at an early stage. Prosecutors will have to prove the state allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, while the separate federal matter will proceed under its own process. Blair’s attorneys are expected to continue arguing that a medical emergency played a central role in what happened.
For now, the most serious unresolved questions concern exactly what occurred aboard Delta Flight 938 and how Blair’s attorneys will address the state allegations. The next scheduled state-court hearing in January will determine the next stage of the Queens case, while the federal matter remains pending separately.
IMAGE: 11 September 2011, 14:11 Source IMG_12850.jpg Author Tabercil from Canadian CC2