Justin Timberlake sues to block release of DUI videoPHILIP MARCELOAPTue, 3 March 2026 9:30AM
Justin Timberlake is suing to block the release of police body camera footage from his drunken-driving arrest in New York’s Hamptons nearly two years ago.
The pop star’s lawyers argued in a lawsuit filed on Monday 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, demeanour, speech, and conduct during field sobriety testing, the subsequent arrest, and Petitioner’s confinement following arrest over the next several hours,” the lawsuit reads.
A judge didn’t immediately rule following the hearing in state court in Riverhead, according to Vincent Toomey, a lawyer for Sag Harbor.
WA’s biggest courts and crime stories to your inbox
Sign-up to our weekly newsletter for free
Sign up
Instead, Judge Joseph Farneti asked the two sides to confer on a possible resolution and report back later in the week.
Timberlake’s lawyers didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The NSYNC singer-turned-solo artist and actor was arrested in June 2024 and pleaded guilty to impaired driving in September.
Police said he ran a stop sign in the village centre, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol.
He 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 160km east of New York City.
Timberlake agreed to give a public safety announcement against the perils of drunken driving as part of the plea deal that knocked down his initial misdemeanour charge to a non-criminal traffic violation.
He was also sentenced to a $US500 ($A705) fine, 25 hours of community service and a 90-day suspension of his licence.
“Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car,” Timberlake said following his court appearance.
“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.”
Timberlake’s lawyers said they were notified on Sunday that village officials intended to release some of the footage, with certain redactions, to comply with public records requests.
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails
Read more on The West Australian
