The Legally Blonde star was released on bond after her New York arraignment, and a federal summons has also been issued.
US actress Selma Blair, 54, was arraigned in New York on Monday on assault charges after an alleged altercation with flight attendants on a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles, ABC News reported.
Airport officials said they had responded to a call on Sunday about "a physically abusive passenger" on Delta flight 938, which was parked at the gate at John F. Kennedy International Airport after arriving from Los Angeles. The New York Port Authority reported that one of two injured flight attendants was taken to a hospital.
Air traffic control audio obtained by CBS News captured the pilot asking for medical personnel to meet the plane, citing "a bloody nose as well as some bite marks." Law enforcement sources told CBS that the flight crew needed to restrain Blair, and that she had tried to open one of the cabin doors and stayed restrained for the rest of the flight.
Delta said law enforcement met the flight when it landed and that there was no operational impact on the flight. "Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first," the airline said in a statement to ABC News.
In a statement to ABC News, Blair's representative said: "Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct." After landing, the representative added, Blair received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.
The complaint names Port Authority Police Officer Maria Suarez, who it says was kicked repeatedly in the face, neck and chest while helping take Blair from the airport to an ambulance. Suarez said her jaw was swollen and that she was in considerable pain, and she received treatment at a hospital.
Blair was taken to Jamaica Hospital for evaluation, according to CBS News. The complaint also says that registered nurse Ashley DeLeo was assisting with Blair's treatment there when Blair allegedly kicked her in the chest, and that DeLeo reported substantial chest pain.
Blair is charged with two counts of second-degree assault under New York Penal Law 120.05(3), according to the criminal complaint filed in Queens. The BBC reported that the two counts relate to the alleged incidents in the ambulance and at the hospital, not on the plane. CBS News reported that she pleaded not guilty and that a judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond. ABC News said Blair was later released on bond and the case was adjourned to January 19, 2027.
In a separate development, a federal law enforcement source told the BBC that Blair was served a summons on a charge of assault that falls under special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the US. ABC News said the summons is answerable to the petty violations court in Brooklyn federal court and has no appearance date. Officials at the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration state that they are carrying out an inquiry.
According to CBS News, the service dog that Blair had with her is now being kept by her attorney.
Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and announced in 2021 that she was in remission. This is not the first time she has been involved in a flight incident. ABC News reported that in June 2016 she was carried off a flight on a stretcher and taken to hospital, after reports said she had made a scene on the flight home from a trip. She later apologized to Vanity Fair and said she had been under the influence at the time.
Blair's 2016 statement, as ABC News quoted it, read in part:
"I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident. I am truly very sorry."
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