By Blessing Nweke
Pop star Justin Timberlake has gone to court to prevent the public release of police body camera footage from his 2024 arrest for driving while intoxicated in the Hamptons area of Long Island, New York.
In legal filings submitted to Suffolk County Supreme Court, Timberlake’s attorneys argued that releasing the video would amount to an invasion of his privacy. They have asked a judge to either block the footage from being disclosed or to conduct a private review and withhold any material not subject to release under New York’s Freedom of Information Law.
Multiple media outlets, including NBC News, have filed public records requests seeking access to the bodycam footage. Timberlake’s legal team contends the recording contains personally identifiable information and private details unrelated to any law enforcement matter of public concern.
“The harm from public exposure—stigma, harassment, reputational injury, and the permanent loss of privacy—is immediate and irreparable,” his attorneys wrote in court documents.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Joseph Farneti has not yet ruled, allowing both sides time to negotiate, according to Vincent Toomey, a lawyer representing the Village of Sag Harbor. The village had planned to release portions of the footage with certain privacy and investigatory redactions. Timberlake, however, sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt that plan.
Sag Harbor Mayor Thomas Gardella confirmed discussions are ongoing, saying the village aims to remain transparent.
Timberlake pleaded guilty in September 2024 to driving while impaired after his June 18 arrest. He was sentenced to 25 to 40 hours of community service and a fine. Outside court, he called the incident a mistake and urged others to learn from it.
Original article
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