Justin Timberlake is close to settling his drunken driving case, months after being arrested in the Hamptons in June.
The “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and “Mirrors” pop star is expected to plead guilty during a hearing Friday in which he is scheduled to appear in person at New York’s Sag Harbor District Court, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to the Times. The 43-year-old singer has agreed to plead guilty to a lesser offense than the original drunken driving charge, the Associated Press reported.
Timberlake's lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., had no comment to The Times.
The 10-time Grammy winner was arraigned June 18 in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on the eastern end of Long Island. The musician allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and struggled to stay in his lane while driving, the Sag Harbor Police Department said. He has pleaded not guilty.
Police described Timberlake during the arrest as having “red, glassy eyes” and a “strong odor of alcohol” on his breath, according to court documents obtained by The Times. Police said the singer also had a slower speech and had failed field sobriety tests.
Timberlake, in the middle of his Forget Tomorrow world tour, was released on his own recognizance.
A month after his arrest, Burke denied that his client was intoxicated when he was stopped and alleged there were errors in the arresting officers’ documents. In response, a district attorney spokesman told AP: “We are prepared to litigate the underlying facts of this case in court, rather than in the press.”
A mugshot of singer Justin Timberlake taken after his arrest on June 18, 2024 on suspicion of drunk driving in the Hamptons.
(Sag Harbor Police Department)
Days after his arrest, the former 'N Sync frontman opened up to fans at a concert in Chicago, telling them that “it's been a rough week.”
“Nothing can change this moment,” the singer said in June. “I know I’m hard to love sometimes, but you still love me and I love you back. Thank you so much.”
Timberlake continues his Forget Tomorrow tour later this month with a stop at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. He is scheduled to play in Toronto, Detroit, Orlando and Atlanta, among other cities, before the end of the year.
Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
