Actress Selma Blair faces the possibility of federal charges and prison time following her arrest earlier this week on assault charges in New York.
The Cruel Intentions star was arrested following an alleged altercation with two flight attendants aboard a Delta flight from Los Angeles to New York City on Sunday.
After the flight, Blair also had alleged altercations with a Port Authority officer helping to transport her and a registered nurse assisting with her treatment at a New York hospital, according to a complaint obtained by ABC News.
The actress is now free on $20,000 bond after a court appearance Monday in which she pleaded not guilty to two felony assault charges, which come with the potential for as many as seven years in prison.
In addition to the assault charges, Blair was issued a violation notice on Monday alerting her that she is facing federal charges of assaults within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, a
During her court appearance Monday, an attorney for Blair noted that this is the actress’s first arrest.
The attorney also said that Blair’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions “greatly impact her neurological system,” adding that Blair missed doses of her medication during her travel.
MS is a chronic, often unpredictable disease of the central nervous system and can cause problems with vision, balance and muscle control. Blair publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2018.
Blair has also said previously that she suffers from dystonia, a neurological disorder that “causes muscles to move or tighten on their own, out of a person’s control,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Prior to Blair’s court appearance, her representative told ABC News in a statement, “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”
The actress is due back in court on Jan. 19.
Over a decade ago, in June 2016, Blair was removed from a plane on a stretcher and hospitalized after reportedly causing a scene.
Blair later apologized in a statement to Vanity Fair, saying at the time that she had been under the influence at the time of the incident.
“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,” she said at the time.
