Nassar survivor says MSU interim president offered her $250K to settle

LANSING, Mich. (WJBK) - What started as a simple introduction led to an offer to settle one of the many cases against Michigan State University for the misconduct of Larry Nassar, according to a victim of the disgraced doctor.

During the MSU Board of Trustees meeting Friday morning, Kaylee Lorincz revealed MSU interim President John Engler offered her $250,000 to settle her case against the university several weeks ago.

Lorincz said after sharing bits and pieces of her assault back in December, she has heard apologies on two separate occasions but has yet to see any action. 

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She said she is continually shocked by MSU interim President John Engler's "callous and disrespectful words" and said when she and her mom stopped in to MSU a few weeks ago to sign up to speak at Friday's meeting, she asked to introduce herself to Engler.

"My hope was that maybe if he actually met a survivor, he might become more empathetic to what we're experiencing," she said. "He has said some hurtful things and I wanted him to know that when he does that, he causes me to feel victimized all over again."

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While they waited, Lorincz said they were met by the Vice President University spokesperson, who spoke with them for about half an hour until they were brought into the meeting with Engler. Carol Viventi, Vice President and Special Counsel to the President, was also in the meeting she said.

"What he did not tell us is that Ms. Viventi is his lawyer."

During the meeting, Lorincz said she told them she was interested in helping the university heal, while Engler told her about the changes MSU has made and plans for progress. Lorincz said he told her that working together couldn't occur until the civil suits were settled. 

That's when she said Engler asked her this question: "Right now, if I wrote you a check for $250,000, would you take it?"

Lorincz said that when she explained it wasn't about the money, he told her to give her a number. She says he told her he met with Rachel Denhollander, and that she gave him a number.

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Denhollander was the first survivor to file a criminal complaint against Larry Nassar back in 2016. 

"I felt like I was getting bullied into saying something."

So she followed up with Rachel, she says, who told her she had never met with Engler -- and never gave a dollar amount.

Lorincz said that Engler attacked her attorneys, who were not present for this meeting.

"Then President Engler started saying it was sad that hundreds of good osteopathic doctors at MSU are being judged by one - one bad doctor. My mom interrupted and said what about former Dean Strampel? Wasn't he just arrested?" she said.

She said Engler rolled his eyes, and said it was "only a slap on the butt." 

That's when Lorincz was cut off and told her time was up, as the crowd chanted, "Let her speak."

She persisted and kept speaking, saying MSU tried to make them feel like they (the victims) were the problem and that the school was the victim. 

"When you protect and promote a sexual predator and foster a culture of lies and coverups, you are responsible," she said.

She continued to read her speech among several interruptions from the board: "Finish your four sentences, you are done."

So she finished with her last statement:

"You created this, not me. I can no longer care about helping MSU, and you guys, certainly, do not. You are the ones who care about the money and I just want my life back."