Actress Selma Blair is accused of kicking a nurse in the chest at a Queens hospital, hours after Port Authority police arrested her over an alleged in-flight incident on a Delta flight from Los Angeles to New York.
A criminal court affidavit filed in Queens Criminal Court says registered nurse Ashley DeLeo was helping transport Blair for further medical treatment at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center around 2 a.m. ET on Oct. 12 when Blair allegedly kicked her.
“The defendant kicked complainant DeLeo in her chest,” the affidavit states, adding that the conduct caused “substantial pain to her chest.”
Blair, 54, was arraigned Monday on two counts of second-degree assault. Port Authority police had responded to a report of a “physically abusive passenger” aboard Delta Flight 938, which landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport from Los Angeles. Officials said two flight attendants reported injuries, and one was taken to a hospital.
Blair was taken into custody at JFK and transported for medical evaluation. The affidavit also alleges she kicked a Port Authority police officer while being moved from JFK Terminal 4 into an ambulance at the airport’s B22 exit ramp.
Police Officer Maria Suarez was helping secure Blair on a stretcher at roughly 11:50 p.m. ET when Blair allegedly “removed her leg from the stretcher straps and kicked Officer Suarez repeatedly about the face, neck and chest,” according to the affidavit. Suarez suffered swelling to her jaw and “substantial pain to her face, neck and chest,” and was treated at a local Queens-area hospital.
Delta said in a statement Monday that it has “zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”
A representative for Blair said the actress suffered a medical emergency during the flight. “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct,” the representative said. “Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”
Blair’s attorney, Shawn Barnes, told the court the incident was not intentional and said Blair had missed doses of a “powerful” medication used to control severe neurological symptoms.
“This was not an intentional assault,” Barnes said.
Barnes said Blair had been working “extensive hours” before the flight and that she fell and hit her head during the trip. “These factors, coupled with altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation,” he said.
Blair has spoken publicly about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, which she received in 2018. She was released on bond and is due back in court in January. Judge Indira Kahn said Monday, “I do believe she poses a risk.”
