
Kearney will receive about $277,450 with the rest going to her attorneys.
The settlement stipulates the money will be paid by the Texas athletic department. It also requires the two sides to make no comment beyond acknowledging the settlement was reached.
Kearney’s original lawsuit sought at least $1 million and financial records previously reviewed by the AP showed the university had spent more than $500,000 defending the case.
The deal keeps confidential any records or testimony collected in the case, including depositions from Applewhite, former Texas football coach Mack Brown, former school President Bill Powers, former athletic director DeLoss Dodds as well current and former employees in the office that investigates sexual harassment and assault.
Kearney won six national championships (three indoor, three outdoor) while at Texas. School officials have previously said they were justified in removing her after 20 years with the Longhorns because the relationship with one of her athletes “crossed a line.”
Her lawsuit argued the school had been much softer with its discipline of Applewhite for his behavior with the student trainer on the trip to the Fiesta Bowl after the 2008 season. Applewhite, a popular former Longhorns quarterback, was ordered to undergo counseling but stayed on staff until Brown was forced out after the 2013 season.
Kearney was one of the most successful women’s track coaches in the country and was considered for a significant raise in 2012 until the 2002 relationship with one of her runners was reported to school officials. She now lives in California.