Actress Selma Blair Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Charges After Delta Flight Incident

Selma Blair pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault at a Queens, New York court on Monday, less than 24 hours after she was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport for an alleged violent incident on a Delta flight. Judge Indira Khan set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond, and Blair was released after posting bail.

According to charging documents, police said Blair removed a leg from her seat strap and kicked repeatedly, striking a flight attendant’s face, neck and chest and later kicking a nurse in the chest while being transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The New York Port Authority Police Department confirmed she was detained at the gate and taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Blair was represented by attorneys Shawn Barnes and Joshua Reitzas. The judge scheduled a further hearing for Jan. 19, 2027 and issued an order of protection for the nurse involved. During the hearing, Blair was observed in tears while handcuffed; her lawyer Reitzas offered to wipe her face.

Barnes told the court that Blair had missed medication for her multiple sclerosis and had been working extensive hours before the flight, factors he said contributed to confusion and disorientation. Reitzas asked the judge to consider Blair’s career and advocacy work, describing her as “the gold standard.”

A Delta spokesperson said the airline has “zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”

Blair previously faced a similar incident on a 2016 flight, for which she apologized and attributed the behavior to a mix of prescription medication and alcohol. She has also disclosed past biting incidents in her memoir, attributing them to social anxiety.