Selma Blair apologizes after assault charges related to flight incident
Actress Selma Blair issued a public apology and said she is following legal advice after pleading not guilty to assault charges stemming from a mid-air incident on a Los Angeles-New York flight.
Selma Blair addressed the public for the first time since being charged with assault, expressing remorse for anyone she may have hurt, frightened or alarmed. The actress, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, said she has been advised by her lawyers not to discuss the details of the incident.
"I know I’ve been quiet for a couple weeks since October 11. And you deserve to hear from me directly, and I’m sorry that it’s taken this long. There is a legal matter going on, and my lawyers have asked me to not say anything about that day, and I’m listening to them," Blair said in an Instagram video.
She added that she has never intended to harm anyone and thanked supporters who have reached out. Blair also confirmed that her service dog, Scout, is doing well and that she will focus on her health and her son.
According to court documents, police and medical staff alleged that Blair kicked a police officer and a nurse after an incident involving crew members on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to New York earlier this month. She was detained upon arrival in New York, taken to a hospital for evaluation, and later arraigned in Queens. A judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond, with a next hearing scheduled for January.
Her attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the judge that the alleged actions were not intentional, citing missed doses of medication for severe neurological symptoms, a head injury during the flight, and the effects of altitude as factors that could have caused confusion and disorientation.