Actress Selma Blair Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Charges After Airport Incident
Selma Blair was charged with two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly kicking a police officer and a nurse while being transported to a hospital, and she entered a not-guilty plea in Queens court.
Actress Selma Blair appeared in Queens criminal court on Monday and entered a not-guilty plea to two counts of second-degree assault. Prosecutors allege that after a mid-flight disturbance on a Delta Airlines flight, Blair kicked a Port Authority Police Department officer and a hospital nurse while being moved from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
According to an affidavit, the officer was securing Blair on a stretcher when she removed her leg from the straps and kicked the officer repeatedly, causing swelling and pain to the officer’s jaw, neck and chest. The nurse, who was assisting with the transport early Monday morning, was also reportedly kicked in the chest.
Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the judge that the incident was not an intentional assault. The judge set bail at $20,000 cash or a $60,000 bond, and Blair was released after posting bail.
The incident follows an earlier altercation on the flight from Los Angeles to New York, during which two flight attendants required medical assistance and one was later hospitalized. The FBI is conducting a separate federal investigation and has issued a notice of assault to Blair.
A spokesperson for Blair said the actress experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct and that she is now in stable condition. A Delta Airlines representative said the airline has "zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first."