Justin Timberlake pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor driving under the influence on Friday, but the hearing did not play out in his favor.
Hamptons-area judge, Carl Irace, suspended the two-time Super Bowl performer’s license due to the singer’s refusal to take a breathalyzer test during his arrest.
The “SexyBack” singer’s lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., denied the charges against Timberlake, who was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York in June, a moment which ascended to virality.
“I’ll say it again: Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated and we’re very confident that charge, that criminal charge, will be dismissed,” Burke, who was warned with the threat of a gag order by Judge Irace for “irresponsible” public comments, said, according to Variety.
“It comes off as an attempt to poison the case before it even begins,” Irace reportedly said of Burke’s comments to reporters outside the courthouse, after a hearing last week.
Timberlake, who joked about the arrest in a June concert, was present virtually during the hearing, as he’s currently in Europe on tour. But he could be expected to appear at a September hearing, Dateline reported.
Per Burke, the singer will lose access to his license until the case comes to an end, with a trial potentially causing complications for the singer’s packed touring schedule, set to sweep across Europe and North America through December.
Timberlake, who reportedly told his arresting officer, “This is going to ruin the tour,” has yet to postpone or cancel any dates.