Justin Timberlake is trying to prevent the public release of police body cam footage from his Hamptons drunk driving arrest, according to court records filed this week.
The 45-year-old singer and actor filed a complaint in Suffolk County Supreme Court on Monday, arguing that making the video public would be “an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” The filing states, “Public dissemination of this footage would cause severe and irreparable harm to [Timberlake]’s personal and professional reputation, subject [Timberlake] to public ridicule and harassment, and serve no legitimate public interest.”
Timberlake, who was on a world tour at the time, was reportedly celebrating at the upscale American Hotel in Sag Harbor when he was stopped by police and charged with driving while intoxicated. Witnesses said he even picked up another patron’s drink at the hotel before being pulled over for running a stop sign in the waterfront village.
According to the criminal complaint, Timberlake told officers he had “one martini and I followed my friends home.” He allegedly refused to submit to a sobriety test.
His arrest photo, showing him with glassy eyes, quickly went viral. While prosecutors initially offered a light plea deal, Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace rejected it.
“This proposal literally allows the accused to say a few words and walk out the door with no period of accountability,” Irace said. Instead, Timberlake was sentenced to 25 hours of community service at a nonprofit of his choice, a $500 fine, and a 90-day license suspension. He also delivered a public statement: “This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. Even one drink — don’t get behind the wheel of the car.”
Now, Timberlake is taking legal steps to keep the body cam footage under wraps as he works to put the incident behind him.