Selma Blair ‘did not intend to harm anyone’ during airplane incident, representatives say
Actor experienced a ‘medical emergency’ on flight during which she allegedly injured crew members, statement says Actor Selma Blair did not mean to hurt anyone during the recent flight which led to her arrest on allegations that she assaulted a pair of cabin crew members, a police officer and a nurse, her representatives said on Friday in a statement that characterized the episode as a medical emergency. The lengthy…
Key points
- Selma Blair's representatives say she had a medical emergency on a Delta flight and did not intend to harm anyone.
- Authorities accuse Blair of injuring two flight attendants and kicking a police officer and a nurse.
- Blair pleaded not guilty to state assault charges and was freed on bail, with a January court date.
Selma Blair's representatives said on Friday that the actor did not mean to hurt anyone during a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York that led to her arrest. In a statement, they described the episode as a medical emergency and said there was no attempt to open the aircraft door.
Authorities accused Blair of injuring two flight attendants on Sunday night's flight to John F Kennedy airport. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also alleged she kicked a police officer taking her to hospital and kicked a nurse after arriving.
Medical condition cited
The statement said Blair has pseudobulbar affect, a condition secondary to the multiple sclerosis she disclosed in 2018, and that it affects how a medical episode appears to people who do not know her. It called it "outrageous" for anyone to suggest she does not have MS, and said she travels with a service dog that authorities took from her.
Blair's representatives criticized media coverage of the arrest, including reports that she tried to open the plane door, and said outlets relied on police allegations and a 2016 incident in which she was removed from a flight after mixing alcohol with medication.
Selma Blair experienced a medical emergency on the flight
— her representatives' statement
Charges and court date
Blair pleaded not guilty on Monday to state assault charges involving the officer and the nurse, and a judge ordered her to stay away from them. She was freed on bail and is tentatively scheduled to return to court in January.
The Associated Press reported that the FBI sent Blair a notice charging her with assault over alleged actions on Delta flight 938, citing an anonymous federal law enforcement official. An air traffic control recording captured the pilot saying one flight attendant and one passenger had minor injuries, including a bloody nose and bite marks.
