Justin Timberlake has filed a petition to stop the public release of body camera footage from his traffic stop and arrest on June 18, 2024 after he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign in the Southampton village of Sag Harbor, New York. The filing arrives after the singer pleaded guilty to one count of driving while impaired months following the arrest.
In the request filed on March 2 and obtained by Rolling Stone, Timberlake’s attorneys state that the footage depicts the Grammy winner in “an acutely vulnerable state during a roadside encounter with law enforcement, capturing intimate details of Petitioner’s physical appearance, demeanor, speech, and conduct,” adding that footage also includes Timberlake during hours of confinement after the arrest.
The footage is currently part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by members of the media, including ABC News, per an emergency filing to block the bid.
In the paperwork, his legal team argues that public release of the video would “cause severe and irreparable harm” to his reputation, subject him to “harassment,” and serve no “legitimate public interest in understanding the operations of government.” His attorneys also assert that the footage’s disclosure would “constitute an unwarranted invasion” of the artist’s “personal privacy.”
Timberlake’s attorneys did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.The singer was arrested on suspicion of DWI back in June 2024. According to a previous court filing, police officers clocked Timberlake allegedly driving through a stop sign and then failing to “keep to the right side of the road” for multiple blocks.
Timberlake was initially charged with a single misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated, to which he pleaded not guilty, following the Sag Harbor arrest. The following September he agreed to plead guilty to the lesser, noncriminal charge of driving while impaired. He will reportedly only have to pay a fine of $500, make a public safety service announcement, and serve up to 40 hours of community service at a nonprofit of his choosing.
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