Jury Trying To Decide How Much Rand Paul’s Attacker Should Pay In Damages

If you recall, Sen. Rand Paul was tackled by his neighbor and suffered broken ribs. You don’t get that from a nudge.

It sounds like the entire beef stemmed from stupid property line fights. I guess Paul was upset when his neighbor, Rene Boucher, trimmed limbs from his (Paul’s) maple tree. Boucher claims Paul repeatedly loaded up yard waste right on their property line just to tick him off, although Paul claims the pile was well on HIS property– not Boucher’s. Ultimately, Boucher’s anger consumed him. He spotted Paul mowing his lawn and tackled him to the ground. Paul was scared. He said he was afraid he might die.

“The thought crossed my mind, ‘I may never get up from this lawn,’” Paul said.

Now it’s up to the jury to decide how much Boucher owes Paul.

Paul is seeking up to $500,000 in damages to compensate him for pain and suffering and up to $1 million to punish Boucher.

The issue is not whether Boucher attacked Paul, but how much Boucher should have to pay Paul.

Boucher pleaded guilty in federal court to assaulting Paul. He served 30 days in jail, paid a $10,000 fine and performed 100 hours of community service, according to his attorney, Matthew Baker. However, federal prosecutors are pushing for a longer sentence for him. Advisory federal guidelines called for a sentence of at least 21 months.

Paul’s civil complaint is a separate case, but he said during testimony that he felt the federal sentence for Boucher was not adequate.

According to the report, Paul sued because he believes “Boucher deserves more punishment.” He also thinks a more severe punishment will “deter” further violence.

Baker indicated to jurors that he doesn’t think Paul deserves much in compensatory damages, saying he wasn’t admitted to the hospital after the attack, didn’t take narcotic painkillers, lost no wages and has been able to return to activities such as golfing and playing in a Congressional charity baseball game.

Paul has had no more than $8,000 in medical costs and does not deserve any punitive damages, Baker said.

Paul pushed back against questions from Baker. Gill at one point admonished him to listen to the question before answering.

Paul acknowledged he’s been able to return to normal activities, but said he still suffers pain, impaired lung capacity and limits on his movement.

“I just don’t think it’s fair that I have to live my life with this pain over something somebody did to me,” Paul said.

What do YOU think? How much should Boucher owe Paul?

h/t Lexington Herald-Leader