Selma Blair was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on October 12, 2026, on two counts of assault in the second degree after an incident aboard Delta flight 938 from Los Angeles to New York, E! News reported. The actress pleaded not guilty to both felony counts, according to ABC News, and her attorney told the court the alleged conduct was not intentional but the result of a medical crisis brought on by missed doses of her multiple sclerosis medication. She was released after posting bail, TMZ reported, and is due back in court on January 19, 2027.
What happened on the flight and after landing
The incident took place on October 11, 2026, aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from LAX to JFK, according to E! News. ABC News reported that Port Authority Police responded to a call about a physically abusive passenger at JFK after the plane arrived at the gate.
The two felony counts do not stem from what happened in the air. According to ABC News, they relate to events on the ground. Blair is accused of kicking Port Authority Police Officer Maria Suarez repeatedly in the face, neck and chest while she was being transported from the airport to an ambulance. She is also accused of kicking registered nurse Ashley DeLeo in the chest while receiving medical treatment at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
CNN reported that Blair was traveling with her service dog on the flight.
The FBI is also investigating the in-flight incident, according to Deadline. Separately from the state charges, ABC News reported that Blair was issued a federal violation notice for assaults within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. That matter is to be handled in federal petty violations court.
What the charges mean and how the arraignment went
Second-degree assault is a felony in New York. A judge set Blair’s bail at $20,000 cash, $60,000 bond, or $60,000 partially secured bond, TMZ reported, and she was released after posting it. The judge also issued an order of protection for the nurse Blair allegedly assaulted, according to TMZ.
Courtroom footage described by Just Jared showed Blair appearing emotional and tearful as she stood before the judge in handcuffs, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and jeans.
The judge addressed Blair’s public profile directly. “Ms. Blair should not get special treatment because she is a celebrity,” the judge said in court, as reported by Page Six and cited by multiple outlets.
Her lawyer’s explanation
Blair’s attorney Shawn Barnes laid out a detailed account in court of what he says led to the incident. According to E! News, Barnes argued that Blair had missed several doses of a powerful medication used to manage her multiple sclerosis. He also pointed to a recent fall in which she hit her head, exhaustion from extensive work hours on set, and the effects of altitude.
“These factors coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation,” Barnes said in court, via E! News.
“This was not an intentional assault,” Barnes said, as reported by Just Jared.
CNN reported that Barnes also disclosed in court that Blair has been diagnosed with parkinsonism, in addition to multiple sclerosis.
Blair’s representative issued a statement to ABC News, which E! News also reported. “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition,” the representative said.
The backstory on Blair’s health
Blair, 54, first disclosed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis publicly in October 2018 on Instagram, NBC News reported at the time. She said then that she had likely been living with the disease for at least 15 years before the diagnosis.
She entered MS remission in 2021 following intensive treatment that included chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, according to Hollywood Life. She has been open about her health in the years since, including in the 2021 documentary “Introducing, Selma Blair” and her 2022 memoir “Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up,” CNN noted.
This is not the first time Blair has been involved in an incident on a Delta flight. In June 2016, CBS News reported that she was removed from a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles on a stretcher after mixing alcohol with medication. She apologized at the time in a statement to Vanity Fair.
What comes next
Blair’s next court date is scheduled for January 19, 2027, according to TMZ. The federal violation notice will proceed separately in federal petty violations court, ABC News reported, and the FBI investigation into the in-flight portion of the incident is ongoing, per Deadline.
For now, Blair has entered not guilty pleas on both state felony counts, her attorney has argued the conduct was unintentional and medically driven, and her representative says she is in stable condition after receiving care upon landing.
