Every week after Justin Timberlake’s protection legal professional claimed that the singer had been mistakenly arrested within the Hamptons, the decide overseeing the case threatened to quash public dialog concerning the “Cry Me A River” singer’s drunk driving case. The identical decide additionally suspended the pop star’s driving privileges, a gesture that may solely prohibit Timberlake’s actions within the Empire State.
Timberlake was arrested in June after police mentioned that he was noticed working a cease signal and swerving between lanes whereas driving a gray 2025 BMW by the streets of Sag Harbor, Lengthy Island. In accordance with Justin Timberlake’s lawyer, Ed Burke, the musician declined police requests that he take a Breathalyzer take a look at on the scene, reportedly telling police “I had one martini and adopted my buddies residence.”
In accordance with Sag Harbor police, when he was pulled over, Timberlake’s eyes have been “bloodshot and glassy,” and smelled strongly of alcohol. He “had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he carried out poorly on all standardized discipline sobriety assessments,” the report reads.
However points with that report are one of many causes the costs towards Timberlake needs to be dropped, his legal professional mentioned following a listening to on July 26. “The police made various very vital errors on this case,” Burke mentioned in a press convention. “Typically the police, like each certainly one of us, make errors. And that is the case on this very occasion.”
“He was not intoxicated. I will say it once more. Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated,” Burke mentioned then. “And we’re very assured that cost, that prison cost, will likely be dismissed.”
One of many errors Burke referenced was an absence of essential signatures on Timberlake’s preliminary charging papers. That mistake meant the Sweet actor needed to be arraigned for a second time on Friday, this time with the paperwork intact.
Timberlake appeared within the courtroom nearly, as he’s at the moment on tour in help of his sixth studio album, March launch Every thing I Thought It Was. As together with his final arraignment, he entered a plea of not responsible, and answered “sure” when requested questions by Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace.
The majority of the trade concerned Burke and Irace, the latter of whom threatened a gag order over Burke’s remarks from final week.
Burke’s feedback to the press got here “off as an try to poison the case earlier than it even begins,” Irace warned, describing them as “irresponsible.”
“Take into consideration the legislation … earlier than making feedback,” Irace mentioned.
Irace additionally introduced that Timberlake’s driver’s license can be suspended at some point of the case, attributable to his refusal to take a chemical sobriety take a look at on the time of his arrest. Nevertheless, as Timberlake’s license was issued in a state aside from New York, the suspension applies solely in that state.
The subsequent listening to within the case has been set for August 9, however Timberlake is not required to look. Nevertheless, Irace is already setting the stage for an in-person courtroom look on September 13, and requested Burke to verify Timberlake was obtainable to look on that date. If a trial does happen and Timberlake is convicted, he might be fined as much as $2,500 and sentenced to so long as a 12 months in jail.
