Justin Timberlake has taken legal action to try and block the release of video showing his drunk driving arrest.
In June 2024, the Mirrors singer was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York for driving while intoxicated (DWI) and two traffic citations.
According to the police report, Timberlake alleged he only had one martini at a hotel bar shortly before he was pulled over. He refused a breathalyser test.
On Monday, lawyers Edward Burke Jr. and Michael J. Del Piano, filed a petition at the Suffolk County Supreme Court in which they alleged the release of police body camera footage of their client’s arrest would invade his privacy.
“Public dissemination of this footage would cause severe and irreparable harm to (Timberlake’s) personal and professional reputation, subject (him) to public ridicule and harassment, and serve no legitimate public interest,” the lawsuit reads, according to People.
In addition, the attorneys claimed that distribution of the video would expose Timberlake’s car and show “highly personal details unrelated to public oversight of governmental operations”.
The move comes shortly after officials at the Sag Harbor Village Police Department received a request for the release of the body camera footage under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).
Timberlake, 45, has not yet publicly commented on the petition.
In September 2024, the pop star pleaded guilty to the less serious offence of driving while impaired under a plea deal. He was sentenced to 25 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $500 (£375) fine with a $260 (£200) surcharge. The father-of-two also had his driving licence suspended for 90 days.
Speaking outside court following the ruling, Timberlake declared, “Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. This is a mistake I have made, but I hope whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this. I know I certainly have.”
