Timberlake reached a plea deal in his case that will see him plead guilty to a less serious offense
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Justin Timberlake is focused on the future after a difficult summer.
PEOPLE confirmed Timberlake, 43, recently reached a plea deal in his DWI case — and now a source tells PEOPLE that he’s ready to put the legal drama behind him.
“He’s a family man, and this is his focus. He accepted a plea deal because he wants to move on,” the source says. “The court case has been a distraction. He doesn’t want his family to be affected by it.”
The “Selfish” singer — who is married to actress Jessica Biel, 42, with whom he shares sons Silas, 9, and Phineas, 4 — was arrested in Sag Harbor, N.Y., on June 18 and charged with driving while intoxicated.
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He’s due in court for a hearing in New York on Friday, Sept. 13, and TMZ and the Associated Press reported that he has agreed to plead guilty to a less serious offense. His attorney Edward Burke Jr. has maintained that the star was “not intoxicated” when he was arrested. Still, Timberlake had his license suspended for a year in the state of New York at a hearing in August, something Burke said was “standard.”
“It’s not like he’s getting off completely — his license is still suspended,” the source adds. “Jess has not been happy about it. She’s encouraged him to accept the plea deal.”
The 10-time Grammy winner is currently on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which the source says is “his priority as well.” He is next scheduled to play on Sept. 28 in Newark, N.J. and will be on the road through June 2025. The tour is on track to land in the top 10 of the year-end tours list per Billboard.
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At a Chicago concert in June shortly after his arrest, Timberlake told fans he’d had a “tough week,” but that he appreciated their support.
“I know sometimes I’m hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back,” he said to cheers.
A source told PEOPLE at the time that Timberlake and Biel had “moved on from the arrest,” and were focused on work, with him on tour and her shooting the upcoming Prime Video series The Better Sister.