Bill Cosby jurors set to resume deliberations after nearly reaching verdict

Bill Cosby was minutes away from hearing his fate in a civil trial that has been going on for a few weeks now – but he was granted a reprieve… apparently due to budget cuts.

During Friday’s court date in Santa Monica, Judge Craig Karlan – who presided over the case – told jurors they would have to resume deliberations from scratch on Monday – all because of a strange way the day ended, including the foreman being excused for a promise former.

Long story short…the jury had been deliberating for 2 days before Friday, when they returned their verdict – with answers to 8 of the 9 questions posed to them. On the 1st, they had not unanimously decided…whether BC had acted maliciously and deserved punitive damages.

They might have been able to go back to decide that the same day … if it weren’t for the sheriff’s deputies demanding that the court vacate the room at 4:30 p.m., due to a required closing time. The word is… there is no approved overtime budget, so they gave everyone the boot.

The other problem … the lead juror had been given the green light much earlier for skedaddle on Friday – that’s when they expected it all to be over. This juror, it appears, had a prior recognizance … and can no longer stay, including to return and discuss this on Monday. As such, an alternate must stand in – and the jury must start over.