Earnest money from failed sale of home contract

I had a situation where a buyer did not close on purchase of my home.  Fortunately I quickly found another buyer and the sale went through with them.  I took the first buyer to court to recover the earnest money that was held by the closing company.  After a settlement, I have now received the held money.  Can anyone confirm if the earnest money I received is considered short term capital gain, normal income or can it be included in the proceeds from selling my home.