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Justin Timberlake is back in court, this time seeking to prevent police body camera footage from his 2024 drunk driving arrest from becoming public.
The 45-year-old singer filed a petition in Suffolk County Supreme Court on March 2 requesting an emergency stay to stop the release of video connected to his June 18, 2024 arrest in Sag Harbor, New York. The footage was requested under New York's Freedom of Information Law, according to court documents.
Timberlake was initially charged with driving while intoxicated after leaving the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. Police cited him for allegedly running a stop sign and failing to maintain his lane. According to the arrest report, officers observed that his eyes were "bloodshot and glassy." He told police he had consumed "one martini" and declined multiple chemical tests. He was held overnight and arraigned the following morning.
In September 2024, Timberlake reached a plea agreement, pleading guilty to a reduced charge of driving while impaired. The resolution required him to pay a $500 fine plus a $260 surcharge, complete 25 hours of community service, suspend his license for 90 days and issue a public service announcement warning about the dangers of impaired driving.
Despite the plea deal, his legal team argues that releasing the body cam footage would amount to "an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." Attorneys Edward Burke Jr. and Michael J. Del Piano contend that public dissemination would expose "intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details" unrelated to public oversight of government operations.
The petition claims the footage's release would cause "severe and irreparable harm" to Timberlake's personal and professional reputation, potentially subjecting him to ridicule and harassment.
His lawyers are asking the court to prohibit disclosure of the video in whole or in part, or alternatively allow them to review and propose redactions before any release.
The Sag Harbor Village Police Department and other local officials have not publicly commented on the latest filing.
