Selma Blair's Representative Says Actress Did Not Intend to Harm Anyone After Plane Incident

A spokesperson for actress Selma Blair issued a statement on Friday defending her client following her not-guilty plea to two counts of second-degree assault related to a July incident on a Delta Air Lines flight to New York. The actress is accused of kicking a Port Authority police officer after being removed from the aircraft and later kicking a hospital nurse, according to court documents.

"Since Sunday night, the public account of what happened to Selma aboard a flight to New York has been built almost entirely on a police statement and a decade-old headline," the representative told NBC News. "We can, however, correct the record on a few points already in public circulation."

The spokesperson reiterated earlier claims that Blair experienced a medical emergency on the flight and did not intend to harm anyone. Blair, who disclosed a multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2018, also suffers from pseudobulbar affect, a neurological condition linked to her MS that can affect emotional expression.

"What Selma has been able to do physically in the years since is nothing short of a miracle. She still has bad days, and she lives with pain daily," the representative said, adding that the condition can cause sudden, involuntary emotional outbursts.

According to the statement, Blair travels with a service dog, which was taken from her during the incident. The spokesperson clarified that there was no attempt to open the aircraft door.

New York authorities allege that Blair kicked the officer in the face, neck and chest while he was securing her on a stretcher, and that she later kicked a nurse in the chest at the hospital, as detailed in a criminal affidavit.

In court, Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, argued that missed medication doses and a prior fall that caused a head injury contributed to severe confusion and disorientation at altitude.

"There is much more to this story than has been reported, and we ask to consider the entirety of the facts before rushing to judgment, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion," the representative concluded.