DALLAS -- A judge ruled Monday in favor of Deion Sanders in a lawsuit over repairs made to his 1961 convertible, saying the former Dallas Cowboy paid the full amount he had authorized for the work.

The owner of the repair shop had sued Sanders, saying the former football player wanted to pay only $1,500 of the $4,265.57 bill. An attorney for business owner Phil Compton said he had been trying to collect from Sanders since 2001.

During the one-day trial, a representative for Sanders testified that he told Compton there was a $1,500 ceiling on the cost of repairs.

"I'm not hurting for money. And let's be honest. A $4,000 bill, I could have written a check a long time ago,'' Sanders said. "But it's the principle. I'm tired of getting ripped off.''

Anthony Montoya, a representative for Sanders, had contacted Compton and told him the convertible needed to be towed to his shop for repairs. The car had been repaired before by Compton.

Papers filed in his lawsuit stated that he and his mechanics installed a new radiator and thermostat, flushed the engine, repaired the car's electrical system and gauges, replaced the starter motor, removed contaminated fuel and rebuilt the carburetor. Mechanics for Magrathea Inc., Compton's company, had replaced gaskets and hoses.

Sanders had approved and Montoya had approved all the repairs, according to the lawsuit. But when the car was returned to the CBS sportscaster's home in Plano on Nov. 5, 2001, Compton said Pilar Sanders, the former Cowboy's wife, "answered the door, took the keys and invoices, started the car to make sure it was working and went back into the locked house, refusing to return the keys or invoices.''

Sanders' bodyguards and housekeepers then moved their cars in front of and behind the Lincoln so that it couldn't be towed back to the garage, the lawsuit stated.

When Sanders drove up, he refused to pay the invoice amount, handing Compton a $1,500 check and saying, "Praise Jesus ... I follow what in my heart I'm told to pay.''