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Civil Trial Stemming from Attack on Senator Paul Begins This Week

Lisa Autry

U.S. Senator Rand Paul and the neighbor convicted of assaulting him outside his Bowling Green home are expected to come face to face in a courtroom this week. 

Paul is seeking monetary damages against Rene Boucher in a civil trial that starts with jury selection on Monday in Warren Circuit Court. 

Senator Paul is suing Boucher for a maximum of $500,000 in compensatory damages and up to $1 million in punitive damages. 

Special Judge Tyler Gill has already ruled that Boucher is liable after pleading guilty in federal court to assaulting a member of Congress and serving 30 days in jail.

Boucher told police that Paul had blown leaves and piled sticks on his property for nearly 20 years and that his anger finally boiled over, prompting the November 2017 attack.  However, jurors are expected to hear testimony that Boucher never raised any property issues with Paul or filed a formal complaint with the Home Owners Association in the upscale Rivergreen subdivision. 

Senator Paul is expected to be in court fresh off of surgery related to the injuries he sustained in the attack, including multiple broken ribs.  The Bowling Green Republican was scheduled to have a hernia repaired last week in Ontario, Canada. 

Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.
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