Justin Timberlake sues to stop the release of video showing his driving while intoxicated arrest
Singer Justin Timberlake, through his attorneys, filed a petition on Monday to stop the release of video footage capturing his 2024 arrest.
The petition, filed against Sag Harbor Village Police Department, the chief of police and the city of Sag Harbor, claims that the "intention to disseminate body-worn camera footage from Petitioner’s traffic stop and arrest on June 18, 2024 constitutes an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under Public Officers Law."
In the court filing, obtained by ABC News, Timberlake's attorney asks the court to "permanently enjoin" the footage from being released in response to a request for it under the Freedom of Information Law.
Timberlake was arrested in June 2024 after police alleged Timberlake was driving while intoxicated. The singer pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the arrest, before reaching a plea deal to resolve the case in September 2024. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of driving while impaired. He was ordered to pay a fine and perform community service.
The petition went on to claim that the video shows Timberlake in "an acutely vulnerable state."
"Public dissemination of this footage would cause severe and irreparable harm to Petitioner's personal and professional reputation, subject Petitioner to public ridicule and harassment, and serve no legitimate public interest in understanding the operations of government," the petition said.
According to the petition, the full video shows eight hours "of continuous recording and encroaches upon areas of Petitioner’s life and emotional state that have no relevance at all to Petitioner’s arrest."
Furthermore, the filing argues that releasing the footage would "constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy because it reveals intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details concerning [Timberlake] and his family, and includes information of medical, familial, otherwise confidential nature."
Timberlake was leaving the American Hotel in June 2024 when he was stopped for allegedly running a stop sign and swerving into the oncoming lane. The officer smelled booze on his breath, according to a police report.
In a criminal complaint, police noted that Timberlake had bloodshot, glassy eyes. He also had slow speech, was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on a field sobriety test, according to the complaint.
He pleaded not guilty twice to charges stemming from his arrest for driving while intoxicated. Following his first not-guilty plea, he had a re-arraignment on Aug. 2, where the singer appeared virtually, after a paperwork error when he was initially charged.
After his arrest, Timberlake addressed what he was going through during a performance at Chicago's United Center in June 2024.
"We've been through ups and downs and lefts and rights," he said.
"It's been a tough week," he continued. "But you're here, and I'm here."
ABC News has reached out to the Sag Harbor Police chief, a lawyer for the village and a representative for Timberlake for comment.
