Nassar survivor: Engler offered $250,000 during meeting

EAST LANSING - A survivor of abuse at the hands of former Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar said Friday that interim President John Engler offered her $250,000 during a sit-down meeting where they discussed what the university has done in the wake of the Nassar scandal.

Kaylee Lorincz, who spoke during public comment at Friday’s MSU Board of Trustees meeting, said she asked for a meeting with Engler two weeks ago, hoping to share her story and be a part of MSU's healing process.

After explaining the steps MSU has taken in response to the Nassar scandal, Engler told Lorincz and her mother, Lisa, that cooperation between survivors and the university couldn’t occur until settlements in the civil litigation were reached, said Lorincz, who is one of the more than 200 women and girls suing MSU over Nassar's abuse.

"Mr. Engler then looked directly at me and asked, 'Right now, if I wrote you a check for $250,000 would you take it?'" Lorincz said. "When I explained that it’s not about the money for me and that I just want to help, he said, 'Well give me a number.' He also said that he had met with Rachael Denhollander and that she gave him a number."

Denhollander said in a phone conversation Friday afternoon that she hasn't spoken about money to anybody and that she was "horrified, absolutely disgusted" that Engler would lie to Lorincz about meeting with her.

"He lied to a sexual assault survivor to get what he wanted," she said. "That’s what Larry (Nassar) did."

Lorincz, who is 18, said that she felt like she was being bullied into something without her lawyer present and reiterated that she wasn't looking for money. It was at that point, Lorincz said, that Carol Viventi, vice president and special counsel to the president, stepped in to say the civil litigation was about money.

Lorincz referred to Viventi as Engler's attorney during her comment. That prompted Engler to respond that Viventi isn't his attorney.

He did not formally respond to Lorincz's statement following her comment. When he attempted to have her step away from the podium after her three minutes were up, protest erupted inside the meeting room.

Chants of "Let her speak" rang out from a crowd of more than two dozen student activists and parents of Nassar survivors.

Listen to her statement:

More: Parents of Nassar victims protest at MSU trustees meeting

More: Kaylee: 'You underestimated the mind, power and will of your victims'

MSU spokeswoman Emily Guerrant was in the meeting with Engler. In a conversation with Lisa Lorincz in the crowded board room after the meeting Friday, Guerrant said her interpretation had been that Engler wasn't directly offering a settlement but engaging in a “philosophical discussion” about what amount would be acceptable.

Following her conversation with Lisa Lorincz, Guerrant told the Lansing State Journal that "an official settlement was not on the table" during the meeting between Kaylee Lorincz and Engler.

In a statement Friday afternoon, Engler confirmed that he met with Kaylee and Lisa Lorincz on March 28 alongside Viventi and Guerrant.

"Our memories and interpretations of the March 28 meeting are different than hers," he said. "I am sorry if anything said during the meeting was misunderstood."

Since MSU plans to resume mediation on April 25 with those who have filed civil suits related to Nassar's abuse, "there will be an appropriate place for discussions concerning what would be a fair and equitable resolution."

Engler addressed the Jane Doe lawsuit at the MSU Board of Trustees meeting:

Engler, speaking to a committee of the state legislature in March, said he hoped the lawsuits would be settled by the end of the semester. MSU's spring semester ends May 5.

"Enough is enough. I just want to see a just and equitable settlement where we do right by our courageous survivors," Trustee Brian Mosallam said in a statement sent out over Twitter on Friday morning.

In a text message sent after the meeting, Mosallam wrote, "If Kaylee Lorincz story is correct, I am beyond disturbed. I’m disgusted."

After the meeting, Trustee Dianne Byrum said it's important that the university work to conclude the pending litigation as officials prepare for the search for MSU's next permanent president

MSU won't be ready for a search if it remains embroiled in this litigation, she added

In a press release, Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, the law firm representing Lorincz in a civil suit against MSU, noted that the $250,000 Lorincz said Engler offered her "was less than 10% of the average amount that Penn State University paid to the male victims of Jerry Sandusky."

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr. Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.