Austin Accepts Settlement of $1.35 Million

Two-time U.S. Open champion Tracy Austin has accepted a $1.35-million settlement in her lawsuit against a motorist.

The settlement was reached Tuesday before a Superior Court trial in Morristown, N.J. was to begin.

Austin, 29, claimed that a 1989 automobile accident in front of a Millburn, N.J. hotel ended a promising comeback. Martina Navratilova had been scheduled to testify about Austin’s loss of earning potential because of the injuries from the accident.

Austin sustained a broken leg and neck and back injuries when her car was struck by a van driven by Steven M. Reynolls on Aug. 3, 1989, court papers say.

At the time, Austin was attempting a comeback on the TeamTennis circuit, playing for the New Jersey Stars. She had been hampered for several years by a bad back.