Selma Blair could receive a prison sentence of up to seven years following her arrest on Sunday over allegations that she assaulted flight attendants, a police officer and a nurse.
Appearing in court Monday, the 54-year-old actress pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault stemming from the alleged attacks on the nurse and police officer.
Blair also faces separate federal allegations after reportedly injuring two flight attendants during a flight from Los Angeles to New York.
She appeared emotional during the hearing at Queens Criminal Court in New York, where she stood in handcuffs wearing jeans and a white hooded sweatshirt.
“This was not an intentional assault,” Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the court Monday. He said Blair had missed several doses of “a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms.”
Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has spoken publicly about her experience living with the condition.
Barnes also said Blair had been diagnosed with parkinsonism, a group of nervous-system disorders associated with movement symptoms including tremors, stiffness and involuntary muscle movements.
Blair is scheduled to return to court on January 19. Under New York sentencing guidelines, she could face as many as seven years in prison if convicted of the state charges involving the nurse and police officer.
Selma Blair could face up to seven years in prison after her arrest over alleged attacks involving flight attendants, a police officer and a nurse; she is pictured Monday after leaving a New York courthouse
No hearing date has been announced in the federal case, which concerns the alleged assaults aboard the aircraft.
Sources told PEOPLE that Blair is expected to face the federal allegations in petty violations court in Brooklyn.
A law enforcement source said the FBI issued Blair a summons over alleged assaults falling under the United States’ special maritime and territorial jurisdiction.
Blair’s attorney told the court that she boarded the flight after working extensive and exhausting hours on set in the days before the journey.
He said that during the flight, Blair fell at one point and struck her head.
“These factors, coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation,” he said.
Another attorney representing Blair, Joshua Reitzas, described the actress as “the gold standard” and “someone we should look up to,” citing her body of work and contributions to others.
Judge Kahn countered that Blair should not receive special treatment because she is a celebrity.
Blair was photographed leaving court after Judge Kahn set bail at $20,000 in cash, a $60,000 bond or a partially secured bond.
The actress, 54, pleaded not guilty Monday to two second-degree assault charges related to the alleged attacks on a nurse and police officer
Blair was arrested after allegedly attacking members of the crew aboard a Delta flight Sunday, prompting distressed pilots to request “medical help” as the aircraft landed.
The actress reportedly attempted to open the aircraft door while the plane was in the air on its way to John F Kennedy International Airport from Los Angeles’ LAX, leading to a ‘confrontation’ with crew members.
It was claimed Blair punched one flight attendant and bit another, after trying to open the plane’s door in the middle of the flight – with Delta confirming the arrest to Our News Outlet.
Dispatch audio from ATC.com, obtained by CNN, indicated that a request initially went out for medics to meet the aircraft because two crew members needed care.
A later transmission stated that there was ‘a bloody nose as well as some bite marks’ – without saying who was hurt, and separately said that the passenger may have ‘bashed her head on the bulkhead.’
A Delta spokesman told Our News Outlet on Sunday: ‘Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.’
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After leaving the plane, Blair allegedly took her leg out of a stretcher’s straps and kicked at a Port Authority Police Officer’s face, neck and chest, the complaint indicated, as she was being transported in an ambulance from JFK Airport Terminal 4.
According to the legal complaint, after Blair was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, she kicked the chest of a registered nurse.
Both the nurse and police officer reported being in pain after being attacked, prosecutors said, adding that the officer had a swollen jaw.
A statement from New York Port Authority to Our News Outlet read: ‘On Sunday October 11 at approximately 11pm at JFK Airport, PAPD responded to a call about a physically abusive passenger aboard Delta Airlines flight 938 which was parked at the gate after arrival from LAX.
‘Suspect was identified as Selma Blair, a 54 year-old woman. She was taken into custody and transported to the hospital for evaluation.
Blair was arrested after allegedly attacking members of the flight crew aboard a Delta aircraft on Sunday – leaving distressed pilots asking for ‘medical help’ as they landed at JFK (pictured)
‘Two flight attendants also reported injuries, and one was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. The FBI is investigating this incident. For further information please reach out the airline and the FBI.’
An FBI spokesman told Our News Outlet: ‘The FBI is responsible for investigating all assaults aboard aircraft.
‘Yesterday, we were informed by our partners at Port Authority Police Department of a potential assault aboard a flight that arrived into JFK. As per long-standing DOJ policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations. ‘
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Blair for comment and has yet to hear back.
In 2016, Blair apologised following a incident aboard a Delta flight home from Cancun – where she allegedly mixed alcohol and medication.
Blair was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after she reportedly mixed alcohol and pills on a flight home from Cancun and began to scream about a man physically abusing her.
Blair shared a photo of the plane’s take-off – ahead of her arrest
‘He burns my private parts. He won’t let me eat or drink. He beats me. He’s going to kill me,’ shouted Blair, who broke down in tears, fellow passengers told TMZ.
‘I made a big mistake yesterday. After a lovely trip with my son and his Dad, I mixed alcohol with medication, and that caused me to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret,’ said Blair in a statement to Vanity Fair.
‘My son was with his Dad asleep with his headphones on, so there is that saving grace. I take this very seriously, and I apologize to all of the passengers and crew that I disturbed and am thankful to all of the people who helped me in the aftermath.
‘I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident. I am truly very sorry.’
In 2018, Blair revealed her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, a central nervous system condition that damages nerves, affecting the electrical signals in the brain.
MS can cause muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness and memory loss.
At the time, she had taken to social media and penned: ‘I have #multiplesclerosis. I am in an exacerbation. By the grace of the lord, and will power and the understanding producers at Netflix, I have a job.
‘A wonderful job. I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken gps. But we are doing it.
‘And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best,’ Blair had continued.
She started using a cane, which she called a ‘necessity for me’ amidst her health troubles.
But last year, Blair was happy to tell People she was ‘truly relapse-free’ from symptoms and ‘feeling really well.’
