COLORADO SPRINGS - The Denver law firm of Franklin D. Azar & Associates prevailed today in a case brought by a former client. A jury in El Paso County District Court not only ruled against the plaintiff, Richard Crowe, but also awarded Azar's firm $300,000.

"It was a frivolous and fraudulent claim from the beginning," said the firm's principle, Frank Azar. "We knew we would prevail in the end and that our firm's reputation for zealously representing our truly injured clients would be restored."

The $300,000 award to Azar's firm was the result of a countersuit filed by the firm and alleging that Crowe had committed fraud.

The lawsuit stems back to 2003, when then-client Richard Crowe of Colorado Springs claimed the firm and its attorney, Richard Tull, pressured him to settle his case for less than the value of his claim. Crowe sued Tull and the firm in El Paso County Court, claiming professional negligence and asking for $1 million in damages.

Crowe's case was originally dismissed by the court, but was later reinstated after a state Supreme Court ruling found that dissatisfied clients could sue their attorneys under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.

"The original decision to dismiss this case was the right one," Azar said Friday. "The proof is in the verdict - this jury awarded us more than we asked for."

Tull was represented by Denver attorneys Marc Levy and Frank Patterson.