Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has been awarded more than $580,000 in damages in a lawsuit against the neighbor who tackled him and broke several of his ribs in a dispute over lawn maintenance.
A jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, deliberated for less than two hours before delivering the award to the Republican lawmaker, 56, who was attacked while doing yard work at his Kentucky home.
Paul had testified during the three-day trial that he feared for his life as he struggled to breathe after Rene Boucher slammed into him in their upscale Bowling Green neighborhood in late 2017.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (left) has been awarded more than $570,000 in damages after his neighbor Rene Boucher (right) attacked him outside his home in Kentucky in July 2017
Rand Paul (right), wife Kelley (center) and Paul's attorney Tom Kerrick speaks to the media outside Warren Circuit Court in Bowling Green on Wednesday
The jury awarded $375,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus $7,834 for medical expenses.
Afterwards, 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 the judgement even though he admitted he 'wasn't thinking rationally' when the incident happened.
'We all expected that Senator 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 neighbors, but the most riveting testimony came from Paul and Boucher.
Rand Paul talks with his attorney during the second day of a civil trial involving him and his neighbor Rene Boucher in Warren Circuit Court in Bowling Green
Boucher (pictured) said he 'wasn't thinking rationally' when he lunged at Rand Paul but he plans to appeal the judgement
Paul, a former GOP presidential candidate, told the jury Monday that immediately after the attack: 'The thought crossed my mind that I may never get up from this lawn again.'
An apologetic Boucher acknowledged he wasn't thinking rationally and called it 'two minutes of my life I wish I could take back'.
Paul displayed little emotion as he sat between his lawyer and his wife in the courtroom, as Boucher recounted the attack.
In his lawsuit, Paul sought up to $500,000 in compensatory damages and up to $1 million in punitive damages.
There is a group of trees blocking Paul's home from Boucher's home in the Rivergreen gated community. The neighbors had been reportedly fighting for months over yard debris on their property line
Baker had conceded a 'reasonable award' might be in order for Paul's pain and suffering but said no punitive damages should be awarded.
Baker said that Paul had resumed his 'customary lifestyle' that included golf and a skiing vacation.
Boucher has already served a 30-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting a member of Congress.
Boucher also was fined $10,000 and served 100 hours of community service in the criminal case.
Federal prosecutors have appealed the sentence, saying 21 months of prison time would have been appropriate.
Sen. Paul was mowing his yard in November, 2017, while wearing headphones when Boucher approached him from behind and dragged him to the ground. The front yard of Paul's home is seen in the above photo
Shortly after the attack, it was learned that Boucher held a grudge against Paul because he felt the Kentucky senator was spoiling his view and thus bringing down the property of his home. Boucher's home is seen in the above photo
Both Paul and Boucher recounted with great detail their accounts of the attack.
Paul testified that he got off his riding mower to pick up a stick and was straightening up when Boucher hit him with such force that both flew through the air by about five or ten feet.
For a moment, Paul said, he had a flashback to the 2017 shooting at a baseball field when members of Congress were practicing for a game. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana suffered serious injuries in the shooting.
The attack in Paul's yard was motivated by lawn care, not politics.
Boucher told the jury that he attacked Paul after watching the senator forming a brush pile near their property line.
The day before the attack, Boucher said he had burned another brush pile that Paul had created near the boundary.
He doused that pile with gasoline and set it on fire, Boucher said. An explosion burned his face, neck and arms, and Boucher said he was still in severe pain when he attacked Paul the next day.
Boucher testified he had hauled away previous brush piles accumulated by Paul without asking the senator.
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https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/31/rand-paul-awarded-more-than-580k-after-neighbors-attack/
Main photo article Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has been awarded more than $580,000 in damages in a lawsuit against the neighbor who tackled him and broke several of his ribs in a dispute over lawn maintenance.
A jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, deliberated for less than two hours before delivering the award to the...
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Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
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