NRT briefing
US actress Selma Blair accused of assault after incident with flight attendants
Based on reporting by BBC News.
The Brief
US actress Selma Blair has been issued a summons accusing her of assault after an alleged altercation on a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York, the BBC reports. The FBI investigated the incident, which occurred around 23:00 local time aboard Flight 938 on Sunday.
The New York Port Authority said two flight attendants were hurt, with one taken to hospital. Blair, 54, was arrested and taken to hospital. Her publicist said she had "experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct" and was in stable condition.
CBS News reported that Blair allegedly kicked a police officer in the ambulance and later assaulted a nurse at the hospital. She has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault related to those alleged incidents. A judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond, with a hearing scheduled for 19 January.
A federal case relates to the alleged assault on the aircraft, with a summons for assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the US. No federal court date has been set. Blair has largely retreated from film work since her 2018 multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and she posted on Instagram before the flight about traveling with her service dog.
In 2016, she apologized for a drunken outburst on a flight. Her 2022 memoir includes accounts of biting celebrities when she felt overwhelmed.