Justin Timberlake's lawyer says singer was 'not intoxicated,' confident DWI charge will be dropped

By Aaron Katersky

Justin Timberlake's lawyer appeared in court on Long Island Friday, defending his client and doubling down on saying the singer was not drunk when he was arrested in the Hamptons last month.

"He was not intoxicated. I'll say it again: Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated," Timberlake's attorney, Ed Burke, said after court in his first public comments on the case, according to New York ABC station WABC. "And we are very confident that charge, that criminal charge, will be dismissed."

The singer was arrested on June 18 after leaving a bar just after midnight when he failed to stop and failed to maintain his lane of travel, police said.

Police determined Timberlake was driving drunk, had bloodshot, glassy eyes and "a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage" emanating from his breath, according to the criminal complaint. He also had slowed speech, was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on a field sobriety test, the complaint said. Timberlake told the arresting officer he had only one drink, according to the complaint.

Timberlake's case was adjourned until Aug. 2 at Friday's hearing. Timberlake was not in attendance; he's currently on his "The Forget Tomorrow" world tour, and performing in Krakow, Poland, on Friday night.

Sag Harbor Village Police Department

Justin Timberlake appears in a mugshot from Sag Harbor Village Police Department after being arrested June 18, 2024.

Timberlake, 43, will be re-arraigned on the misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and failing to keep right. There was a problem with the charging instrument that prosecutors must correct, necessitating the new arraignment.

Timberlake will appear virtually on Aug. 2 in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court. He's set to perform at two concerts in Belgium next weekend.

In his first comments after the arrest, Timberlake told a crowd in Chicago in late June that it had been "a tough week."

"We've been through ups and downs and lefts and rights," he told the audience.

Burke said Friday that prosecutors made "a number of very significant errors in this case."

"Justin respects law enforcement. He recognizes the very important job that they do and he cooperated with the police officers from the second he was ordered out of his car to the second he was charged," Burke said.

ABC News' Mark Osborne and Bethany Braun-Silva contributed to this report.