Selma Blair pleads not guilty to assault charges after flight incident

Actor Selma Blair pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault following an alleged altercation aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York and subsequent incidents involving a police officer and a nurse.

Blair, 54, was detained late Sunday after the aircraft arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said two flight attendants reported injuries; Blair and one flight attendant were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

State charges concern allegations that Blair repeatedly kicked an officer who was securing her to a stretcher and later kicked a nurse at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. She was arraigned Monday in Queens and released after a judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond. Her next hearing was scheduled for January.

The FBI also issued Blair a notice alleging assault aboard the aircraft, according to an Associated Press source cited by The Irish Times. That matter is expected to be handled in federal court in Brooklyn.

A representative for Blair said she experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct and was in stable condition after receiving treatment. Her lawyer said Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, had missed doses of medication, hit her head during the flight and became confused and disoriented. He argued that her actions were not intentional.

Delta said it has “zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior.”