Actress Selma Blair faces two counts of second-degree assault in New York, accused of kicking a police officer and a nurse after a Delta Air Lines flight on which two flight attendants reported injuries.
The 54-year-old star of "Legally Blonde" and "Cruel Intentions" was taken into custody after an incident at 11 p.m. on Oct. 11 on Flight 938 from Los Angeles to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
One of the two flight attendants was taken to a hospital, the broadcaster reported, citing the Port Authority Police Department. A law enforcement source said one attendant was bitten, the other suffered a laceration, and the crew had to restrain Blair.
In air traffic control audio, the pilot asked for medical staff to meet the plane at the gate to look at "a bloody nose as well as some bite marks," adding that an ambulance did not seem necessary.
"It sounds like the disruptive passenger also bashed her head on the bulkhead or something like that," the pilot said, according to CBS News.
Law enforcement sources also said that Blair tried to open one of the cabin doors during the flight.
Blair was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for evaluation. A police officer said in charging documents that while she was securing Blair to a stretcher, the actress pulled a leg free of the straps and kicked her repeatedly around the face, neck and chest, AP reported.
A nurse moving Blair at the hospital later said the actress kicked her in the chest, causing substantial pain.
Blair was arraigned late on Oct. 12 in a Queens court on the two assault counts, which relate to the officer and the nurse, and her lawyer entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.
The judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond and scheduled the next hearing for Jan. 19, 2027. Blair posted the $20,000 and was released on Oct. 12, according to Variety.
If convicted on the state charges, she could face two to seven years behind bars, a prosecutor said on Oct. 12.
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Selma Blair leaves court in New York on Oct. 12, 2026 after her arraignment on assault charges. Photo by AP/Ryan Murphy |
Her attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the judge that Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, had missed several doses of "a powerful medication" for her neurological symptoms and struck her head during the flight, the New York Daily News reported. "These factors, coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation," Barnes said.
Separately, the FBI issued Blair a federal summons for assaults within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States over her alleged conduct on board, a federal law enforcement source told CBS News. That case will go through the petty violations court in Brooklyn federal court, and no appearance date has been set.
Delta said in a statement to Variety that it "has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first."
Blair received her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2018 and has since advocated for disability rights. She was traveling with her service dog, which is now with her attorney.
In 2016, Blair was removed from a flight on a stretcher while traveling with her then 4-year-old son, after what she called "a total psychotic blackout," Variety reported. She blamed that episode on drinking a glass of wine and taking a pill.