Justin Timberlake just moonwalked his way out of a sticky legal situation—without even busting a dance move!
So, here’s the tea: JT (yes, Mr. “Cry Me a River” himself) was this close to being tagged with a DWI (that’s “Driving While Intoxicated,” for those who don’t speak fluent legalese). But, thanks to his smooth-talking lawyer, Edward Burke Jr.—who we can only assume was wearing a suit so sharp it could cut glass—Justin pulled a Houdini and escaped the DWI charge completely. Poof, gone, vanished, like one of those ’90s frosted tips.
What’s the magic trick? Well, instead of facing the big scary DWI charge, Justin’s going to plead guilty to something called “Driving While Ability Impaired.” Now, before you think this is code for “driving while trying to remember the lyrics to ‘SexyBack’,” it’s not. It’s actually just a fancy legal way of saying, “Yeah, I was driving… a little off my game.”
And guess what the penalty is? A whopping fine that could be anywhere from $300 to $500. That’s right. For the price of, like, a pair of fancy Timberlake concert tickets, Justin’s walking away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist (and probably a pat on the back from his lawyer). The judge will decide how much Justin’s gotta cough up on Friday the 13th—because apparently, the universe has a sense of humor, too.
But wait, there’s a tiny hiccup in JT’s smooth ride: his license is still going to take a year-long nap in New York. Why? Because our boy JT refused to blow into a Breathalyzer after being pulled over by an officer (maybe he didn’t want to mess up his vocal cords?). In the grand state of New York, that refusal automatically comes with a side of license suspension for a year, no exceptions.
So, while Justin won’t be cruising through the Big Apple anytime soon, you can bet he’s still bringing the music—just maybe not while driving a car.
