Selma Blair Faces State and Federal Assault Charges After Delta Flight Incident
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Actress Selma Blair has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault in New York and has also been issued a federal violation notice. The charges stem from an altercation on a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles. Her representative says she suffered a medical emergency and "did not intend to harm anyone."
The state case returns to court on Jan. 19, 2027, according to ABC News. The FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration are also investigating, ABC reported.
How the case has unfolded
- June 2016: ABC News reported that Blair was removed from a plane on a stretcher and reportedly hospitalized after reportedly causing a scene on a flight. She later apologized in a statement to Vanity Fair, saying she had mixed alcohol with her medication and blacked out.
- 2018: Blair publicly revealed a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.
- 2021: She announced the disease was in remission, according to both BBC News and ABC News.
- Oct. 11: Port Authority police responded Sunday night to a call about a physically abusive passenger on Delta flight 938. The plane had arrived from Los Angeles International Airport and was parked at the gate. Blair was taken into custody and then to a hospital. ABC cited sources who said she was treated at Jamaica Hospital in Queens.
- Monday: A criminal complaint was filed in Queens. A judge set bail, and Blair pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. She was also issued a federal violation notice.
- Jan. 19, 2027: The state case was adjourned to this date.
What the charges say
According to ABC News, the Queens complaint charges Blair with two counts of second-degree assault under New York Penal Law 120.05(3). The counts relate to alleged altercations with a Port Authority officer and a registered nurse. BBC News reported that those charges were filed in state court after she was removed from the plane.
BBC also reported that she is accused of assaulting two flight attendants on board. The Port Authority said two flight attendants were hurt and one was taken to a hospital.
The federal matter involves a charge of assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. BBC said the FBI issued the summons. ABC cited a source familiar with it who said it is answerable in the petty violations court in Brooklyn federal court. No appearance date has been set, the sources told ABC.
The judge set bail at $20,000 cash, $60,000 bond or $60,000 partially secured bond, ABC reported. Blair was released on bond.
What was said during the flight
CBS News, the BBC's U.S. partner, obtained air traffic control audio in which a pilot asked for medical help. According to BBC, the pilot described a bloody nose and some bite marks. ABC reported that the pilots asked ahead of landing for medical personnel to meet the plane at the gate.
Media reports that Blair tried to open the aircraft door have circulated. Her team denied them, according to both outlets.
Blair's response
Her publicist said there is "much more to this story" than has been reported, according to BBC. She said public accounts have rested almost entirely on a police statement and a decade-old headline. The representative said Blair had a medical emergency and still has bad days and daily pain.
The statement also said Blair has pseudobulbar affect, a neurological condition secondary to her MS. It said the condition affects how a medical episode appears to people who do not know her. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, as cited by BBC, the disorder can cause sudden, involuntary episodes of laughing, crying or anger that do not match a person's actual feelings.
The publicist added that Blair had never been arrested before Sunday night. She asked the public to consider all the facts before rushing to judgment, in court or in public opinion.
What this means for the case going forward
The charges are allegations, and Blair has pleaded not guilty to the state counts. She now faces parallel tracks: a state case with a set court date and a federal violation notice with no date yet. Two agencies, the FBI and the FAA, are still investigating, so the account of what happened aboard the plane may change as more information emerges.
The dispute over the medical context is likely to be central. Her team points to her neurological conditions. Police and airport officials have so far described injuries to flight attendants and an altercation involving an officer and a nurse. Reports differ on some details, including who issued the federal summons and what happened aboard the aircraft. Several of those details have not been confirmed publicly.
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