Selma Blair charged with assault after Delta flight incident at JFK

Selma Blair was charged with two counts of second-degree assault after an incident on Delta Air Lines flight 938 from Los Angeles to New York on 11 October. Port Authority police boarded the aircraft at John F. Kennedy International Airport around 11 p.m. after a report of a physically abusive passenger. Two flight attendants sustained injuries; one was taken to hospital. Blair was taken into custody and transported for medical evaluation.

Prosecutors said that while officers were securing her to a stretcher, Blair freed a leg from the straps and kicked a Port Authority officer in the head, neck and chest. Hours later she kicked a nurse in the chest at the hospital. She appeared in Queens Criminal Court, did not enter a plea or later pleaded not guilty according to varying reports, and was released on $20,000 cash bail. An order of protection was issued for the nurse. The next court date is 19 January. If convicted she faces a possible sentence of two to seven years.

Her attorney, Shawn Barnes, said Blair had worked long hours on set, fell and hit her head, and missed medication. A representative stated she experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct and is now in stable condition. Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018. Delta said it has zero tolerance for unruly behaviour. Federal authorities also issued a summons related to the aircraft incident under special maritime and territorial jurisdiction.

The sequence recorded in charging documents and police statements is the in-flight disturbance involving flight attendants, the post-landing restraint and kicks to the officer, the hospital kick to the nurse, and the subsequent bail release. Medical details beyond the public statements remain private.