American actress Selma Blair has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault following an alleged altercation aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York City that left two flight attendants injured.
Blair appeared in court on Monday evening but did not enter a plea. She is expected to be released on $20,000 bail set by Judge Indira Khan and is due back in court on January 19. The judge also issued an order of protection for a nurse Blair is accused of kicking.
According to prosecutors, Blair allegedly assaulted a Port Authority officer while being strapped onto a stretcher before being transferred to an ambulance. A criminal complaint states that she freed one of her legs from the stretcher restraints and kicked the officer in the head and chest.
The complaint further alleges that Blair later kicked a nurse in the chest while the medical professional was taking her for additional treatment.
Blair's attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the court that the actress had spent extensive hours on set before boarding the flight. He said she subsequently fell and hit her head aboard the plane and had missed her medication.
Barnes added that Blair spent seven to eight hours in hospital before being taken into police custody and later had to return to hospital for further treatment.
The incident occurred aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 938, which was travelling from Los Angeles International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday night.
The Port Authority said officers responded to reports of a physically abusive passenger after the aircraft arrived. Blair was identified as the suspect, taken into custody and transported to hospital for evaluation.
Two flight attendants reported injuries, with one taken to hospital for further assessment.
Dispatch audio obtained by CNN reportedly indicated that medical personnel had initially been requested to meet the arriving aircraft to attend to two flight attendants. The audio later referred to minor injuries, including a bloody nose and bite marks, although it did not specify who sustained them.
A law enforcement official told CNN that Blair allegedly bit one flight attendant and left another with lacerations. The official added that she had to be restrained using plastic restraints.
The FBI is investigating the incident. In a statement to CNN, the agency's New York field office declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Delta Air Lines said it had zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behaviour, adding that the safety of passengers and crew remained its priority. The airline confirmed that law enforcement officers met the aircraft upon arrival.
### Blair's previous in-flight incident
The latest allegations are not the first time Blair has been involved in an incident aboard a commercial aircraft.
In 2016, the actress publicly apologised after being removed from a flight travelling from Cancun, Mexico, to Los Angeles on a stretcher. She was hospitalised following the incident.
In a statement to *Vanity Fair* at the time, Blair described the episode as a major mistake, explaining that she had mixed alcohol with medication, which caused her to black out and say and do things she deeply regretted.
Blair also publicly disclosed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease affecting the central nervous system. Her treatment and experience living with the condition were documented in the 2021 film *Introducing, Selma Blair*.
Multiple sclerosis can affect movement, balance, coordination and other bodily functions, although symptoms and their severity vary considerably between individuals. There is currently no cure, but treatments can help manage the condition.
The actress rose to prominence with her role in the 1999 film *Cruel Intentions* before appearing in the 2001 comedy *Legally Blonde*. Her other credits include the *Hellboy* film franchise and the romantic comedy *The Sweetest Thing*.
Blair had shared a video on Instagram on Sunday recounting recent travels with her service animal, Scout, before the reported incident.
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, 1,331 reports of unruly passengers had been recorded so far in the year referenced in the report.
The assault allegations against Blair remain allegations, and she has not entered a plea in the case.
