Rand Paul awarded more than $580K after neighbor's attack

Associated Press

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul was awarded more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses Wednesday in his lawsuit against the neighbor who tackled him and broke several of his ribs in a dispute over lawn maintenance.

A jury in Bowling Green, Ky., deliberated less than two hours before delivering the award to the Republican lawmaker who had been attacked while doing yard work at his Kentucky home.

Paul had testified during the three-day trial he feared for his life as he struggled to breathe after Rene Boucher, an anesthesiologist by trade, slammed into him in their upscale Bowling Green neighborhood in late 2017.

The jury awarded $375,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus $7,834 for medical expenses.

Afterward, Paul said in a statement that he hoped the verdict would send a "clear message that violence is not the answer – anytime, anywhere."

Boucher's attorney, Matt Baker, said they would appeal.

"We all expected that Sen. Paul would get a verdict in his favor," Baker said. "This far exceeds anything that we were expecting."

The trial included testimony from doctors as well as other who live in the neighborhood, but the most riveting testimony came from the longtime neighbors — Paul and Boucher. Paul, a former GOP presidential hopeful, told the jury Monday that immediately after the attack, "the thought crossed my mind that I may never get up from this lawn again."