Selma Blair is facing prosecution for more than her alleged altercation with two flight attendants aboard a Delta Airlines flight on Sunday. The “Legally Blonde” and “Cruel Intentions” star wound up in New York criminal court Monday evening for what allegedly occurred after the mid-flight incident.
The Queens district attorney charged Blair, 54, with two counts of second-degree assault stemming from her alleged violent conduct toward a police officer and a hospital nurse late Sunday evening and early Monday morning. Blair, whose mid-flight conduct is under federal investigation, is accused of kicking a Port Authority Police Department officer as she was being transported from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, according to an affidavit obtained by The Times. She is also accused of kicking a hospital nurse.
Blair appeared emotional in court during a hearing Monday evening.
“This was not an intentional assault,” her attorney Shawn Barnes said in court, according to the New York Post. The actor pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Queens County Court Judge Indira Khan set bail at $20,000 cash, $60,000 bond or a $60,000 partially secured bond. Blair was released Monday. Blair’s attorneys did not immediately respond on Tuesday to a request for comment.
According to the affidavit, the police officer was assisting with transporting Blair from the airport to the hospital on a stretcher. She alleged that while she was securing the actor, Blair “removed her leg from the stretcher straps and kicked” the officer “repeatedly about the face, neck and chest.” The officer allegedly sustained swelling in her jaw, and “substantial” pain to her face, neck and chest and received treatment at a local hospital.
The hospital nurse said she interacted with Blair at around 2 a.m. Monday at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. According to the affidavit, the nurse was also helping transport Blair for additional treatment “when the defendant kicked [the nurse] in her chest.”
Blair’s accused assault on the police officer and nurse came after she allegedly became physically abusive with flight staff during the Sunday flight from Los Angeles International Airport to JFK. The New York Port Authority confirmed officers responded to a call around 11 p.m. Sunday. Two flight attendants needed medical assistance after an alleged altercation during the flight. One flight attendant also was transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
The FBI is investigating the incident, and on Monday, the agency issued the actor a notice charging her with assault, per a federal law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The petty violations court in Brooklyn will handle the case, per the outlet.
“Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct,” a representative for Blair told The Times on Monday. “Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”
In a statement to The Times, a spokesperson for Delta Airlines said it has “zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”
Times staff writer Emily St. Martin contributed to this report.
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