Pop superstar Justin Timberlake has filed a lawsuit to stop the public release of his infamous 2024 DWI arrest in Sag Harbor, New York.
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In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Timberlake filed a petition in Suffolk County Supreme Court, alleging that video of his arrest would invade his privacy. The petition comes just after the Sag Harbor Village Police Department, Department Chief Rober Drake, and the Village of Sag Harbor received a request for the video’s release under the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).
“Public dissemination of this footage would cause severe and irreparable harm to [Timberlake’s] personal and professional reputation,” the petition reads. “Subject [Timberlake] to public ridicule and harassment, and serve no legitimate public interest.”
Timberlake’s lawyers, Edward Burke Jur. and Michael J. Del Piana, further stated that the public distribution of the footage would show the inside of the singer’s vehicle. They argued that the video would also “expose highly personal details unrelated to public oversight of government operations.”
The legal team also stated that the highly personal information would concern Timberlake’s family. Among the items that could be exposed are “medical, familial, and otherwise confidential nature” information.
Both lawyers requested the court “enter on emergency stay prohibiting disclosure” of the video. They also requested “an order and judgment” that would prohibit the dissemination of the bodycam footage “in whole or in part” for any FOIL request and by any third party that does not have a court order.
Sag Harbor Police pulled over Timberlake in early June 2024 after he ran through a stop sign and failed to stay on the right side of the road. Despite stating he only had one martini, Timberlake appeared to have “bloodshot and glassy” eyes.
Justin Timberlake Previously Pleaded Guilty to DWI
Months after his DWI arrest, Timberlake agreed to plead guilty to a less serious offense.
“I try to hold myself to a very high standard. And this was not that,” he previously told reporters. “I’d like tos ay to everyone watching and listening, even if you had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend, take an Uber.”
Timberlake was ordered to pay a $500 fine with a $250 surcharge and complete 25 hours of community service. He also had his license suspended for 90 days.