Justin Timberlake pleads not guilty in DWI arrest

Last Updated on August 12, 2024

Pop superstar Justin Timberlake was not feeling the summer love this week, appearing in court (albeit virtually) to enter a not guilty plea at his DWI hearing stemming from his June 18th arrest.

Taking to the Sag Harbor, New York court remotely, Justin Timberlake made his case with few words but has, along with his attorney, maintained that he is not guilty of any wrongdoing as he faces a drunk driving misdemeanor. As of now, however, his license has been suspended in the state of New York.

Even though Justin Timberlake claims he only had one martini – something corroborated by a bartender at the American Hotel, the establishment Timberlake spent time with friends at the night of his arrest – he was in fact put in custody and given a mugshot. As one officer stated, Justin Timberlake “had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”

However, Timberlake’s team – which includes attorney Edward D. Burke Jr. – has argued that the police also made far too many errors to proceed as they did. As Burke told reporters following the hearing, “The most important thing we have to say today is obviously that Justin should not have been arrested for driving while intoxicated. The police made a number of very significant errors in this case…”

The arrest sparked a number of anti-Justin Timberlake reactions online, with people saying this is exactly how celebrities should be handled when potentially breaking the law. Many went on to praise the arresting officer as well, who claimed he did not know who the singer-actor was. As such, plenty were telling Timberlake to “cry me a river” over the incident. 

Justin Timberlake was reportedly concerned his arrest would “ruin the tour”, which sparked an immediate meme (no kidding!). This is in reference to his ongoing world tour in promotion of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought I Was. The European leg ends in early September. Following that, he will hit North America, where he will continue through until just before Christmas.

What do you think will come with the Justin Timberlake situation? Will this be a slap on the wrist or a genuine lesson for all celebs?