Selma Blair’s Lawyers Detail What Triggered Midair Meltdown as Actress Appears in Court

Selma Blair‘s attorneys claim she was off her medication and hit her head during a Delta Air Lines flight on Sunday (October 11), triggering a meltdown that led to her arrest.

The Cruel Intentions actress appeared in Queens County Criminal Court in New York for her arraignment on Monday evening (October 12), where she faced two assault charges. She is accused of repeatedly kicking a police officer in the head and assaulting a nurse as she was taken to a hospital following her midair meltdown.

TMZ previously reported that Blair injured two flight attendants during the Los Angeles to New York journey, with dispatch audio revealing that injuries included a bloody nose and bite marks.

“This was not an intentional assault,” Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, said at the arraignment, per the New York Post. “Ms. Blair missed several doses of… a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms.” Barnes also said his client has multiple sclerosis.

Actress Selma Blair was seen leaving Queens Criminal Court following her arraignment on Monday. She was arrested after allegedly biting a flight attendant on board a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Sunday night.

Following her arrest, she allegedly kicked a police officer and a nurse and is facing two assault charges.

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 13, 2026

He continued, “Ms. Blair boarded this flight after being on set and working extensive hours and exhaustive hours in the days leading up to this flight. Additionally, at one point, during the flight, there was an incident where Miss Blair actually fell and hit her head.”

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

The Legally Blonde star’s other defense attorney, Joshua Reitzas, told the court, “Consider her body of work and what she’s done for people. This is someone we should look up to. She is the gold standard.”

Judge Indira Kahn responded, “Ms. Blair should not get special treatment because she is a celebrity.” Kahn set Blair’s bail at $20,000 cash and $60,000 bond. She was also ordered to stay away from the nurse she allegedly kicked in the chest while being transported to Jamaica Hospital.

According to a criminal complaint, the actress freed her leg from her stretcher and repeatedly kicked a Port Authority Police Officer in the face, neck, and chest. She is then said to have kicked a nurse in the chest while being tended to at Jamaica Hospital.

Blair limped out of court after posting the cash bail. She is scheduled to return for a hearing on January 19 and could face two to seven years in jail if convicted of the two state-level assault charges.