The man who violently attacked Senator Rand Paul while he was mowing his lawn in Kentucky, leaving him severely injured, has been ordered by a jury to pay $580,000 in damages. Paul filed a lawsuit against Rene Boucher after suffering a number of broken ribs and long term damage to his body in 2017.
"A Kentucky jury on Wednesday awarded $375,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for pain and suffering, plus $7,834 for medical expenses," the Associated Press reported Wednesday. "Paul said afterward that he hopes the jury's verdict sends a "clear message that violence is not the answer."
It’s never ok to turn those disagreements into violent, aggressive anger. I hope that’s the message from today.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 30, 2019
Paul's attacker is reportedly a socialist and registered Democrat. His attorney argued the attack came after a dispute "between neighbors." Before the jury made their decision, Boucher said he was wrong and wasn't thinking clearly.
An apologetic Rene Boucher told a jury Tuesday that he attacked Paul after watching the senator start forming a brush pile near their property line in an upscale Bowling Green subdivision.
'It was an irrational thing I did, and it's two minutes of my life I wish I could take back,' Boucher said. 'What I did was wrong.'
Two weeks ago, Paul underwent hernia surgery as a result of the attack. The surgery cost nearly $10,000, which comes on top of other medical bills from the incident. During the attack, Paul feared for his life.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member