Selma Blair apologises after Delta flight arrest and assault charges in Queens

The apology

Selma Blair has apologised publicly for the first time since the incident, in an Instagram video in which she visibly fought back tears. The video was her first comment on the events of 11 October, and she explained that her lawyers had advised her not to discuss that day.

“There is a legal matter going on, and my lawyers have asked me to not say anything about that day, and I'm listening to them.”

Blair said she had never intended to hurt or frighten anyone, and she directed her apology at the people she had disappointed, hurt or alarmed. She thanked those who had reached out in support and said her son meant everything to her. She also said her service dog Scout, who accompanied her on the flight, was doing well, and that she would now focus on her health and her son.

The flight and the arrest

The incident took place on 11 October on Delta flight 938 from Los Angeles to New York. The port authority said it had received an emergency call about a physically aggressive passenger. Two flight attendants were reported injured, and air traffic control records show that the pilots reported one passenger with a nosebleed and another with bite marks before landing. Media reports say Blair tried to open the aircraft door during the flight, a claim her spokesperson disputed by saying she had suffered a medical emergency on board and had not tried to open the door. After the aircraft landed, Blair was detained and taken to hospital for evaluation.

Charges and court appearance

Blair was charged in Queens with two counts of second-degree assault, and she pleaded not guilty. Charging documents allege that a female police officer taking her to Jamaica Hospital Medical Centre was kicked repeatedly around the face, neck and chest after Blair pulled one leg free from the stretcher straps. A nurse moving Blair later said the actress had kicked her in the chest. A judge set bail at 20,000 dollars in cash or 60,000 dollars as a bond, and Blair was released on bail. The next hearing was set for January, with a court date of 19 January.

The defence and medical account

Her lawyer, Shawn Barnes, told the judge that her actions were not intentional. He said she had missed several doses of a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms, according to reports in the New York Daily News and New York Post. At the arraignment, Barnes put the argument this way:

“These factors, your honor, coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation.”

Her lawyers also argued that she had hit her head on the plane's bulkhead. Earlier, her management had described her behaviour as the result of a severe medical emergency, and her spokesperson rejected claims that she did not have multiple sclerosis. Blair received the diagnosis in 2018, and in 2021 she said the condition was in remission. Her service dog Scout, a Labrador she has had for five years, was with her on the flight.