Selma Blair Arrested at JFK, Pleads Not Guilty to Assault

Selma Blair pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of second-degree assault, a day after she was arrested at New York's JFK Airport following a Delta flight from Los Angeles, TMZ reported.

What the court record shows

A judge set bail at $20,000 cash or a $60,000 bond, and Blair was released Monday night, according to TMZ. The judge also issued an order of protection for a nurse she is accused of assaulting. Her next court appearance is Jan. 19, 2027.

The two state counts involve a Port Authority police officer and a nurse, not the flight crew, in TMZ's account. Law enforcement sources also told TMZ that the FBI issued a federal summons, described as a violation notice, charging "assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States." The FBI is investigating the incident aboard the plane.

What is alleged

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Blair punched one flight attendant and bit another during Sunday's flight. One attendant sustained a laceration and the other a bite, TMZ reported. Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ shows officials requesting medical personnel at the gate for minor injuries, including a bloody nose and bite marks, and notes that the passenger apparently bashed her head against a bulkhead.

TMZ's sources said Blair was put in restraints and arrested on landing. In the ambulance to the hospital, she allegedly kicked a Port Authority officer in the head repeatedly, and at the hospital she allegedly assaulted a nurse who pressed charges. The Port Authority told TMZ that two flight attendants reported injuries and one went to a hospital. Delta told TMZ it has "zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior."

These are allegations. Blair has entered a plea of not guilty.

What Blair's side says

A representative told TMZ that Blair "experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct" and was in stable condition after receiving medical attention. At the arraignment, her lawyers argued that "severe confusion" caused by several missed doses of a powerful medication used to manage serious neurological symptoms, together with a fall in which she hit her head, was to blame, per Page Six as cited by TMZ.

TMZ tied that description to Blair's multiple sclerosis, which she has discussed publicly. The argument as relayed does not name a diagnosis.

Blair, 54, is best known for "Cruel Intentions" and "Legally Blonde." Her most recent public appearance, TMZ noted, was Oct. 1 at an event at The Jewish Museum in New York.

The FBI investigation is open. Blair's next court date is Jan. 19, 2027.