Justin Timberlake Sues to Block Release of Body Cam Footage of DWI Arrest

Justin Timberlake is suing to prevent the release of police body cam footage of his 2024 DWI arrest, saying it would cause “severe and irreparable harm to [his] personal and professional reputation” and “subject [him] to public ridicule and harassment.”

The pop singer was arrested and charged with a DWI in June 2024 after being pulled over while driving in Sag Harbor, Long Island. Timberlake later struck a deal after agreeing to plead guilty to a noncriminal driving while impaired traffic violation.

On Monday, lawyers for the pop singer filed a petition against the Village of Sag Harbor and its police department seeking to block the body cam footage’s release in response to Freedom of Information Law requests from media organizations.

“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, demeanor, speech, and conduct during field sobriety testing, the subsequent arrest, and petitioner’s confinement following arrest over the next several hours,” the petition notes (via Patch). Timberlake reportedly told the arresting office during the stop that, “This is going to ruin the tour.”

The petition continues, “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. Disclosure of this footage would constitute an unwarranted invasion of Petitioner’s personal privacy under Public Officers Law. The privacy interests at stake decisively outweigh any purported public benefit from disclosure, and this court should exercise its authority to prevent the release of this highly sensitive material.”

A judge didn’t immediately rule on Timberlake’s request, but instead asked his attorneys confer with Sag Harbor officials to find a possible resolution, ABC News reports.