Justin Timberlake pleads not guilty to DWI again, attorney threatened with gag order by judge
SAG HARBOR, New York (WABC) -- Singer Justin Timberlake appeared virtually in court from his world tour in Europe on Friday, where he pleaded not guilty at his second arraignment for DWI.
Timberlake, 43, looked somber and serious as he entered his plea. He was wearing a black button-down shirt and appeared virtually to court in Sag Harbor due to being on tour.
The singer was re-arraigned after his attorney, Edward Burke, noticed a superior officer did not sign the initial charging papers from the June 18 arrest.
"We are maintaining" Justin was not intoxicated at the time of the traffic stop, Burke said.
Surveillance video captured Timberlake driving his car in Sag Harbor before the arrest. He was pulled over after police say he failed to stop and failed to maintain his lane of travel and performed poorly on a field sobriety test.
Burke had filed a motion to dismiss the charges, citing the error. But he withdrew the motion Friday after Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace noted that law enforcement would likely have to rearrest Timberlake, calling it an undue burden on the defendant.
Judge Irace threatened Burke with a gag order, but the attorney said, "I don't see that happening."
"Hey, we all have jobs to do. We are obligated to zealously defend our clients and that's what I plan on doing," Burke said.
He was reprimanded by Judge Irace for making "irresponsible" comments after last week's hearing.
"Justin should not have been arrested for driving while intoxicated. The police made a number of very significant errors in this case. You heard the DA try to fix one of those errors, but that's just one, and there are many others. Sometimes the police, like every one of us, make mistakes. And that's the case in this very instance," Burke said on July 26.
Timberlake does not have to appear then, but the judge said the day may come when he may have to appear in person, and asked his attorney to come up with a date.
He said Timberlake may have to appear in court on September 13, and asked the attorney to make sure his client is available. The singer does not have a concert that night.
The former N'SYNC singer's license is suspended under the arrest, but as he has an out-of-state license, it only bars him from driving in New York
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