Justin Timberlake Accepted DWI Plea Deal to 'Move on,' Family & the World Tour Are 'Priority': Source (Exclusive)

After a difficult summer, Justin Timberlake is focused on the future.

PEOPLE has confirmed that 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 is a family man and this is his focus. He accepted the settlement because he wants to move on – says the source. “The court case was a distraction. He doesn’t want it to affect his family.”

The “Selfish” singer — who is married to actress Jessica Biel, 42, with whom he has sons Silas, 9, and Phineas, 4 — was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York on June 18 and charged with DUI.

Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake at his album launch party in March 2024 in Los Angeles.

Jerritt Clark/Getty Images

Justin Timberlake reached a plea deal in a DWI case three months after his arrest in the Hamptons

He is due in court for a hearing in New York on Friday, September 13, and TMZ and the Associated Press reported that he has agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge. His lawyer Edward Burke Jr. he claimed the star “wasn’t drunk” when he was arrested. Still, Timberlake’s New York state license was suspended for a year at a hearing in August, something Burke said was “standard.”

“It’s not like he’s completely off the hook – his license is still suspended,” the source added. “Jess was not happy about it. She encouraged him to accept a plea bargain.”

The 10-time Grammy winner is currently on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which a source says is “also a priority.” The next one is scheduled for September 28th in Newark, NJ, and will be on the road until June 2025. The tour is on track to land in the top 10 on the year-end tour list of Billboard.

Justin Timberlake at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.

JB Lacroix/WireImage

Justin Timberlake is admonished by the prosecution for showing up unprepared during his DWI hearing

At a concert in Chicago in June, shortly after his arrest, Timberlake told fans he had had a “tough week” but appreciated their support.

“I know sometimes it’s hard to love me, but you keep loving me and I love you right back,” he said to cheers.

A source told PEOPLE at the time that Timberlake and Biel have “moved on after their arrest” and are focused on work, with him on tour and her filming an upcoming Prime Video series A better sister.

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