Jury awards Senator Rand Paul $582,000+ in damages over attack

A Kentucky jury has awarded Senator Rand Paul more than $582,000 in damages in a civil suit against his neighbor, Rene Boucher, who admitted to attacking him in November 2017 over a dispute involving lawn waste. The Republican senator, who suffered six broken ribs and underwent hernia surgery following the attack, seemed pleased with the verdict, tweeting “It’s never ok to turn those disagreements into violent, aggressive anger. I hope that’s the message from today.” While Boucher pleaded guilty to the assault in federal court and has already served 30 days in jail, plus a $10,000 fine and 100 hours community service, Paul filed the civil suit to deter him from committing further violence, explaining “you just can’t let people get away with this kind of stuff.”