Selma Blair pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting an officer and a nurse following an incident on a flight to New York. New York airport officials responded to a report of a physically abusive passenger on a Delta Airlines flight travelling from Los Angeles on Sunday evening.
Two flight attendants sustained injuries during the altercation, with one being transported to a hospital by the New York Port Authority. Audio from air traffic control included a pilot describing bite marks and a bloody nose during the disturbance.
The FBI issued Blair a federal summons for assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, while state court filed two additional assault charges after she was removed from the aircraft. Blair, who has pseudobulbar affect and multiple sclerosis, experienced a medical emergency during the flight.
A publicist for the Legally Blonde star stated that Blair "did not intend to harm anyone" and noted that she had never been arrested before Sunday night. The actress revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2018 and announced she was in remission in 2021.
Blair's team denied reports claiming she tried to open the aircraft door.
