{"id":500641,"date":"2026-03-03T05:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T05:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/500641\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T05:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T05:53:09","slug":"pop-star-justin-timberlake-fights-to-keep-drunken-driving-arrest-footage-private","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/500641\/","title":{"rendered":"Pop star Justin Timberlake fights to keep drunken driving arrest footage private"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Justin Timberlake<\/a> is suing to block the release of police body camera footage from his drunken driving arrest in New York\u2019s Hamptons<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n

The pop star\u2019s lawyers argued in a lawsuit filed Monday against the village of Sag Harbor and its police department that release of the video would \u201cdevastate\u201d Timberlake\u2019s privacy by revealing \u201cintimate, highly personal, and sensitive details.\u201d <\/p>\n

They also said it would cause \u201csevere and irreparable harm\u201d to his reputation by subjecting him to \u201cpublic ridicule and harassment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe footage at issue depicts Petitioner in an acutely vulnerable state during a roadside encounter with law enforcement, capturing intimate details of Petitioner\u2019s physical appearance, demeanor, speech, and conduct during field sobriety testing, the subsequent arrest, and Petitioner\u2019s confinement following arrest over the next several hours,\u201d the lawsuit reads.<\/p>\n

A judge didn\u2019t immediately rule following a Monday hearing in state court in Riverhead, according to Vincent Toomey, a lawyer for Sag Harbor. Instead, Judge Joseph Farneti asked the two sides to confer on a possible resolution and report back later in the week, he said. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Emme<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Helen<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Timberlake\u2019s lawyers didn\u2019t immediately respond to emails seeking comment. <\/p>\n

The NSYNC singer-turned-solo artist and actor pleaded guilty to impaired driving in September 2024. Police said he ran a stop sign<\/a> in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol that June. <\/p>\n

The Tennessee native told officers he had had one martini and had been following some friends home in Sag Harbor, a former whaling village among the affluent beach towns of the Hamptons, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.<\/p>\n

Timberlake agreed to give a public safety announcement against the perils of drunken driving as part of the plea deal<\/a> that knocked down his initial misdemeanor charge to a noncriminal traffic violation. He was also sentenced to a $500 fine, 25 hours of community service and a 90-day suspension of his license.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you\u2019ve had one drink, don\u2019t get behind the wheel of a car,\u201d Timberlake said following his court appearance. \u201cThis is a mistake that I made, but I\u2019m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.\u201d<\/p>\n

In their suit, Timberlake\u2019s lawyers say they were notified Sunday that village officials intended to release some of the footage, with certain redactions, to comply with public records requests.<\/p>\n

They say the total footage runs roughly eight hours and includes Timberlake\u2019s initial stop, police questioning, the administration of field sobriety tests and his arrest.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press was among several media outlets that filed a records request seeking the release of the video. <\/p>\n

Sag Harbor Mayor Thomas Gardella said village officials have carefully reviewed the footage to ensure nothing would be released that could put police or the public at risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to be as transparent as can be with this footage,\u201d he said, noting that the state\u2019s public records law generally requires release of police body camera footage. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com\/philmarcelo<\/a>.<\/p>\n