Justin Timberlake may get light punishment if convicted but not due to his celebrity status, says expert

SAG HARBOR, NEW YORK: Justin Timberlake might walk away with a comparatively milder punishment if he is convicted in his DUI case. However, his celebrity status would not have anything to do with the punishment, said a legal expert. 

Timberlake, 43, could face up to a year in jail if he is convicted of the drunk driving case after getting arrested during a traffic stop in Sag Harbor, Long Island earlier on Tuesday, June 18.

Nevertheless, legal expert Michael Brown, a criminal defense lawyer from Suffolk County, said that while the case could take the turn of a DUI, the ‘Trolls’ actor’s seasoned attorney Eddie Burke Jr would want to bid for a lesser charge of driving while ability impaired (DWAI), and that would be “a violation as opposed to a crime”.

Justin Timberlake may walk away with lesser charges

The Suffolk County defense lawyer explained that if Timberlake were to get charged with a DWAI as opposed to a DUI, he might get slapped with a fine of up to $500. 

Referring to the significance of a DWAI, Brown explained, “That’s a violation as opposed to a crime," the New York Post reported.

He further noted that charges for DWAI are comparatively lesser and warrant just 15 days of prison stay. Brown noted with conviction that the ‘Mirrors’ singer would probably not be jailed as well. 

The legal expert claimed, “It won’t happen. What will happen is a fine of up to $500.”

For this, Brown credits the ‘Friends With Benefits’ actor’s attorney, saying that the star is in “good hands” as his lawyer is “a very good attorney, very-well known, established with the DAs in Suffolk County.”

Nevertheless, Timberlake’s relatively lenient punishment, if he is to get one, has nothing to do with his celebrity status, added the attorney.

Brown, who worked as a prosecutor in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office from 1992 to 1995, further hypothesized, “I don’t think [the DA’s Office] will make an example of him nor will they be more lenient. I think the case will rise and fall on the merits of the case.”

Meanwhile, he also noted that a person who refuses to take a Breathalyzer test often finds themselves to be treated in a “fairly tough” manner by the office. 

Brown defended, “We all have a job to do.”

Justin Timberlake was arrested for flouting traffic rules

Justin Timberlake refused to take a Breathalyzer test on Tuesday when his grey 2025 BMW was pulled down by the cops for running past a stop sign and swerving on the road. 

The multifaceted star was, nevertheless, released without bail after his arraignment later on Tuesday. According to the court documents, he was slapped with a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. Furthermore, he has also been accused of running a stop sign and failing to keep in his lane.

Timberlake’s refusal to take a Breathalyzer test might play a huge role in the prosecution of the alleged ‘Prince of Pop’ as Brown noted prosecutors in the office “acknowledge that it’s difficult to establish intoxication just through observation.”

He added, “It’s hard to distinguish often between impairment and intoxication, those are the two levels,” before noting that in this case, the footage from the body camera of the arresting officers would be the “best evidence.”

The complaint against the ‘Bad Teacher’ star alleged “his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”

Brown, however, noted, “Good lawyering will often get the charges reduced to the lesser included charge and not the criminal charge of driving while impaired,” noting that this is the same “boilerplate” language that he has been noting in all of his DWI cases in the past 32 years. 

The language “is in every single misdemeanor information that I have seen in the last 32 years of my career,” Brown said.

Brown said, “Every single DWI charge will say glassy-eyed, slurred speech, unsteady on his feet, strong smell of alcoholic beverage,” before adding, “Those are the four things you see in every misdemeanor information.”

The multiple Grammy winner was arrested at 12.37 am and taken to the Sag Harbor Police Headquarters to be questioned. 

When arrested, Timberlake famously claimed, "I had one martini and I followed my friends home.” 

However, as per the police reports, he drove through a stop sign, and failed “to keep on the right side of the roadway." 

While “he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” Timberlake refused to do chemical tests when taken to the police headquarters. It has been reported that he said "I refuse" both times when the authorities asked him to repeat the protocol for a second and third time. 

The ‘SexyBack’ crooner was charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and two citations, one for running a stop sign and one for failure to keep in lane.

The official press release stated, "Mr Timberlake was placed under arrest, processed, and held overnight for morning arraignment.”

It continued, “Mr Timberlake was arraigned at the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on June 18, 2024, at 9.30 am, where he was released on his own recognizance.”