NPR

What Does Mistrial In Cosby's Case Mean In Court Of Public Opinion?

On this Father's Day, NPR's TV critic Eric Deggans analyzes the impact of the mistrial in the sexual assault case against superstar comic and philanthropist, Bill Cosby — once known as America's Dad.

It's a depressing question to ask on a Father's Day weekend: What does it mean that a superstar comic and philanthropist once "America's Dad" just saw his prosecution on sexual assault charges end in a mistrial?

The trial against Bill Cosby ended Saturday, when a deadlocked jury was unable to reach a verdict on three counts of aggravated indecent assault after several days of deliberations. Until and unless the jurors speak, we won't know if just one or two of them declined to convict or if there was more widespread disagreement.

Prosecutors have already said they will retry Cosby and people on every side of the

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