Nassar Survivor Says Michigan State Interim President Tried to Coerce Her to Settle Case
A survivor of sexual abuse from Larry Nassar alleged on Friday that Michigan State interim president John Engler tried to pay her off to settle her civil lawsuit.
When speaking at Michigan State's board of trustees meeting, 18-year-old Kaylee Lorincz said Engler offered her a check without her lawyer present.
Lorincz said Engler's offer occurred on March 28 when she and her mother went to campus to sign up to speak at Friday's meeting, according to ESPN. Lorincz asked if she could meet Engler to introduce herself, and she was taken into a conference room with the interim president, his spokeswoman and an attorney.
"Right now, if I wrote you a check for $250,000, would you take it?" Lorincz said Engler asked her during the meeting.
Lorincz explained to Engler that she did not want money but wanted to help the school create change. Engler said they could not work together until the civil suits were settled.
She also said Engler told her that fellow gymnast Rachel Denhollander, the first woman to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual assault, gave him a number to write her a check. Lorincz said she asked Denhollander about the incident, and that Denhollander said she had never met with Engler or given him a dollar amount.
Lorincz is one of more than 200 women who have filed civil lawsuits claiming sexual assault abuse fromNassar, including Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman and Simone Biles. The former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison after decades of sexual abuse.
During her statement, Lorincz was interrupted and told she had run out of time. The crowd began to chant "let her speak" while police officers stood behind her trying to control the situation. Lorincz went on to finish her statement despite being told repeatedly she was out of time.
"President Engler, you wanted to talk about money, and I wanted to talk about helping and healing," Lorincz said. "You tried to make us feel like we were the problem and MSU was the victim because of the civil suits. This is how it works. When you protect and promote a sexual predator and foster a culture of lies and coverups, you are responsible."
You can read the full transcript of Lorincz's statement at WDIV News 4 Detroit.