Justin Timberlake pleaded not guilty and had his license suspended earlier today after a virtual hearing into a drunk driving charge in June.
The pop singer, who is currently on his Forget Tomorrow world tour in Europe, was initially arrested on Long Island on June 18 after police pulled him over and said he was driving erratically. He attended the hearing via video conference from Antwerp, Belgium. Sag Harbor Village Judge Karl Iras suspended his license after he refused to submit to a breathalyzer test during the arrest, and it is unclear how long the suspension will last.
“Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke Jr., confirmed during the hearing that the truth is that he was not under the influence of alcohol. I will say it again: Justin Timberlake was not under the influence of alcohol and we are confident that this criminal charge will be dismissed.”
In addition to suspending Timberlake's license, Judge Iras Burke threatened to issue a gag order over his “irresponsible” statements to the media, saying it “seems like an attempt to poison the case before it even begins.”
Timberlake was arrested after he claimed to have had a martini before being pulled over. According to the arrest complaint, he smelled bad, had slow speech and performed poorly on field sobriety tests. At the time of his arrest, Burke said, “I look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake on these allegations. I will have more to say in due course but am currently awaiting full disclosure from the District Attorney's Office.”
The next hearing is scheduled for August 9, which he will not be required to attend, followed by another hearing on September 13, which he may be required to attend.
