Rand Paul Wins $580,000 in Lawsuit Against Neighbor who Attacked Him
Richard Moorhead
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Rand Paul was awarded a sum of $580,000 Wednesday in a civil suit against Rene Boucher, a man who violently attacked the Kentucky Senator in 2017.
Boucher, Paul’s neighbor, tackled Paul in his yard in an assault that broke six of his ribs and left him with enduring and painful injuries. While a specific motive for the assault hasn’t been identified, Paul has rejected attempts by mainstream media outlets to link it to a neighborhood dispute of sorts. Many have surmised that political grievances were a motivating factor, as Boucher was a known partisan Democrat.
Paul’s wife, Kelly, had written an op-ed describing the Senator’s struggles to deal with the debilitating injuries he suffered from Boucher’s assault, which he had described recovering from as a “living hell.” In addition to the broken ribs, Paul suffered from lung damage and accompanying pneumonia with complications.
The ruling of the civil suit Paul filed against Boucher requires the attacker to pay $7,834 in medical expenses, $200,000 for Paul’s pain and suffering, and $375,000 in punitive damages. Boucher had earlier been found guilty of assaulting a member of Congress in criminal court in regards to the incident- getting off with a minuscule thirty-day jail sentence for the serious assault. Paul had expressed dissatisfaction with the lenient sentence given to Boucher by the federal courts, which is currently under appeal by prosecutors, who seek a sentence of 21 months.
On Twitter, Paul addressed the outcome of the suit, stating that he pursued the case as a means to deter future political violence in America from individuals such as Boucher.
This lawsuit wasn’t about me. It was about all of us and what we find acceptable as a society. We need to send a clear message that violence is not the answer – anytime, anywhere.
We can hold different views, whether it’s politics, religion or day to day matters.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 30, 2019
Paul’s tweets on the matter, which align with the theory that Boucher’s backyard assault of the Senator was in fact politically motivated by his hatred of his politics, go on to emphasize that it’s never okay for American to descend to the level of tribal and violent rage on the basis of politics.
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