Justin Timberlake Pleads Not Guilty to DWI Charge in Virtual Hamptons Court Appearance
Justin Timberlake appeared virtually for a court appearance in the Hamptons on Friday following his arrest for driving while intoxicating in June.
He pleaded not guilty for a second time in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court in New York, multiple outlets reported on Friday, after his attorney had previously filed a motion to dismiss the charges due to a superior officer not signing the initial charging papers.
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Timberlake’s license was suspended as part of the arrest. On Friday, his lawyer, Ed Burke, clarified that, since he has an out-of-state license, it only affects his ability to drive in New York. “This is standard procedure with every DWI case,” he told reporters, according to ABC News.
The re-arraignment comes a week after Burke had said during a proceeding on July 26 that Timberlake was “not intoxicated” when he was arrested. “I’ll say it again. Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated. And we are very confident that charge, that criminal charge, will be dismissed,” the attorney said at the time, also arguing that the police made several “very significant errors in this case.”
While Timberlake did not have to appear in person for this hearing, there may come a time when he does, and the judge asked the attorney to ensure the artist will be available despite being on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour for his new album Everything I Thought It Was. The singer has concerts this weekend in Antwerp, Belgium.
The next court hearing is a lawyer conference, which will take place on Aug. 9.
After being arrested on June 18, Timberlake, who claimed he only had one martini but performed poorly on field sobriety tests, was “released on his own recognizance,” according to a police statement at the time. In its own report, the court added: “His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”
The former NSYNC frontman addressed the arrest at his first show after the incident, saying, “We’ve been together through ups and downs, lefts and rights. It’s been a tough week, but you’re here and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment right now.”
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