Justin Timberlake is taking legal action to block the release of police body camera footage of his 2024 arrest for driving while intoxicated (DWI) in the Hamptons in Long Island, N.Y.
The pop star, 45, was arrested on the charges in Sag Harbor in June 2024 when police said he ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane in the posh beach town.
The SexyBack singer resolved the case with a plea deal in September 2024, pleading guilty to a lesser charge of a non-criminal traffic violation of driving while impaired.
Timberlake’s lawyers argued in a lawsuit filed Monday in Suffolk County Supreme Court against the village of Sag Harbor and its police department that release of the video would “devastate” Timberlake’s privacy by revealing “intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details.”
They also said it would cause “severe and irreparable harm” to his reputation by subjecting him to “public ridicule and harassment.”
“The footage at issue depicts Petitioner in an acutely vulnerable state during a roadside encounter with law enforcement, capturing intimate details of Petitioner’s physical appearance, demeanor, speech, and conduct during field sobriety testing, the subsequent arrest, and Petitioner’s confinement following arrest over the next several hours,” the lawsuit reads.
In their suit, Timberlake’s lawyers say they were notified Sunday that village of Sag Harbor officials intended to release some of the footage, with certain redactions, to comply with public records requests under the Freedom of Information Law.
They say the total footage runs roughly eight hours and includes Timberlake’s initial stop, police questioning, the administration of field sobriety tests and his arrest. Officials did not say how much footage they planned to release to the public or what portions of the footage would be redacted.
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Timberlake’s legal team says the release of the footage would reveal “information of medical, familial, otherwise confidential nature that is not necessary to inform the public about governmental operations of the performance of official duties,” People reports.
Timberlake’s lawyers requested the court “enter an emergency stay prohibiting disclosure” of the footage from his arrest. They also requested that Timberlake and the court have the opportunity to “review the body-worn camera footage with proposed redactions to assess the privacy interests.”
The final request from the Trolls actor’s legal team is to grant any “other/further, and different relief” the court may deem necessary.
A judge did not immediately rule following the Monday hearing in state court in Riverhead, according to Vincent Toomey, a lawyer for Sag Harbor.
The judge instead asked the two sides to confer on a possible resolution and report back later in the week, Toomey added.
“We’re trying to be as transparent as can be with this footage,” Sag Harbor Mayor Thomas Gardella told The Associated Press, noting that the state’s public records law generally requires release of police body camera footage.
Timberlake’s lawyer Edward D. Burke Jr. told E! News that the Bye Bye Bye singer sought a “temporary restraining order” and a “preliminary injunction” to prevent the release of bodycam footage.
“A conference was held in Supreme Court, County of Suffolk yesterday before Justice Joseph Farneti. Special counsel for the Village and Mr. Timberlake’s attorneys appeared before the Court. The Court took no formal action on the matter yesterday in order to allow the parties to confer on a potential resolution of the matter and for the Village to respond to the lawsuit,” the lawyer said in a statement on Tuesday.
Timberlake was arrested on June 18, 2024 when police said he ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane.
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” the court papers said.
Further court documents alleged Timberlake refused a breathalyzer test once they arrived at the station.
Burke has maintained that Timberlake was not drunk and that the case should be dropped.
“The facts remain he was not intoxicated,” Burke said. “I’ll say it again: Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated and we’re very confident that charge, that criminal charge, will be dismissed.”
At the time of his arrest, the Mirrors singer told authorities he drank only one martini and that he’d been following some friends home in his car.
Timberlake later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in his drunk driving case in September 2024 and he was ordered to pay a US$500 (about C$680) fine with a US$260 (C$350) surcharge and to complete 25 hours of community service at the non-profit of his choosing. The judge also required the former boy band member to make a public safety announcement.
During the trial, Timberlake expressed regret for his actions.
“I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself,” he told the court.
The singer said he’s since had time to reflect on his poor behaviour and understands the strain his trial has put on Sag Harbor.
Timberlake also said he comprehends the “seriousness” of driving under the influence and will make “better decisions” going forward.
Outside the courthouse, Timberlake told the crowd, “What I’d like to say to everyone watching and listening is even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.”
“There’s so many alternatives. You can call a friend. Take an Uber. There’s many travel apps. Take a taxi,” he encouraged. “This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.”
— With files from Global News and The Associated Press
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