Former NSYNC frontman singer Justin Timberlake is suing a village on Long Island to prevent video of his 2024 DWI arrest from making it into the public arena.
“His attorney is saying there are things in there that violate his privacy,” said Sag Harbor Mayor Thomas Gardella. “That needs to be addressed with the attorneys and the court. I haven’t seen the tape myself but we are trying to be as transparent as possible.”
Gardella said the town was responding to Freedom of Information Act requests filed by media outlets, including NBC New York, for the police body camera footage that recorded Timberlake’s entire arrest. For nearly a year, Gardella says town lawyers have been discussing this with the singer’s attorneys.
“We had our law-enforcement and attorneys reviewed the tape and redacted anything that was a security risk to law enforcement and to the public,” said Gardella.
The footage was about to be released on Monday, when Timberlake’s attorneys filed a lawsuit, stating release of the video would be an “unwarranted invasion of privacy” by showing “footage inside his vehicle and while inside the police station.” Additionally, lawyers claimed it would cause “stigma, harassment, and reputational injury.”
In June 2024, Timberlake was seen leaving the American Hotel and getting behind the wheel of his BMW. Security video captured him driving erratically through town and he was stopped by a Sag Harbor police officer when he ignored a stop sign. Timberlake’s attorneys declined to comment for this story but residents had plenty to say.
“Classic celebrity trying to cover up their tracks going,” said Sebastian Frowein, who remembers the media frenzy from the arrest. “It’s going on all over the place these days.”
“If it was me, I wouldn’t have the same access to powerful attorneys,” said Mike Tracy.
According to court documents, the eight-hour-long video shows the arrest from when Timberlake was stopped, the field sobriety test, and the interactions inside the police department.
His lawyers argue the video “reveals intimate, highly personal, and sensitive details concerning Petitioner and his family, and includes information of medical, familial, otherwise confidential nature that is not necessary to inform the public about governmental operations or the performance of official duties.”
“He was permitted to plead guilty to a violation,” said legal expert and criminal defense attorney Michael Bachner. “His statement was that he had a single martini that night. The media may want to see that video to see if that is consistent with someone who had one martini.”
Bachner says this is a tough case for the celeb to make.
“Because Timberlake has pleaded guilty already, I think he has an uphill battle in this case,” said Bachner.
According to the mayor’s office, on Monday a judge ordered lawyers for both parties to discuss the video and they are to meet later in the week.
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