Justin Timberlake sues to block release of police video from 2024
drunken driving arrest in New York
[March 03, 2026]
By PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Timberlake is suing to block the release of
police body camera footage from his drunken driving arrest in New York’s
Hamptons in 2024.
The pop star's lawyers argued in a lawsuit filed 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, demeanor, 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 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.
Timberlake's lawyers didn't immediately respond to emails seeking
comment.
The NSYNC singer-turned-solo artist and actor pleaded guilty to impaired
driving in September 2024. Police said he ran a stop sign in the village
center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of
alcohol that June.
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.
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Justin Timberlake urges drivers not to get behind the wheel after
even a single alcoholic drink in Sag Harbor, New York, Sept. 13,
2024, as part of his sentence for driving while impaired. (AP
Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
 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 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.
“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.”
In their suit, Timberlake’s 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.
They say the total footage runs roughly eight hours and includes
Timberlake's initial stop, police questioning, the administration of
field sobriety tests and his arrest.
The Associated Press was among several media outlets that filed a
records request seeking the release of the video.
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.
“We're trying to be as transparent as can be with this footage,” he
said, noting that the state's public records law generally requires
release of police body camera footage.
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