Overview
- Blair was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy Airport after a Delta flight from Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 11, and she pleaded not guilty to two counts of second‑degree assault before being released on bail.
- Prosecutors say two flight attendants were injured on the plane and that Blair later kicked a Port Authority officer and a nurse during transport and treatment, according to criminal complaints and Port Authority statements.
- Blair’s representatives and her lawyer say she experienced a medical emergency tied to multiple sclerosis, missed medication and a fall on the flight, and they deny reports that she tried to open the aircraft door.
- Federal authorities have issued a notice related to alleged assaults within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States and the FBI and FAA are conducting parallel inquiries.
- Blair has publicly had an MS diagnosis since 2018 and her team cites pseudobulbar affect to explain how a neurological episode can appear to observers, a factor that will shape both legal defense and public discussion as the case moves forward.