Rene Boucher talks with his attorney Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, during the second day of a civil trial involving Boucher and his neighbor U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in Warren Circuit Court in Bowling Green, Ky. Paul testified that he feared for his life after being hit by a blindside tackle from a neighbor, who broke several of his ribs while he was doing yard work at his Kentucky home. (Bac Totrong/Daily News via AP)
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul was awarded more than $580,000 in damages and medical expenses on 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, Kentucky, 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 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.
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.