Video shows a Larry Nassar victim accusing MSU interim president of trying to buy her silence
- During a Michigan State University board of trustees meeting, a Larry Nassar victim accused the school's interim president of trying to buy her off to get her to drop her lawsuit against the school.
- The woman's testimony drew gasps of shock and outrage at the meeting.
- The president was also accused of lying about another victim agreeing to be paid for dropping the lawsuit.
At a recent Michigan State board of trustees meeting, a Larry Nassar victim came forth and accused the school's interim President John Engler of attempting to get her to agree to a payoff in a meeting without her lawyers so she would drop her civil lawsuit against the school.
The testimony resulted in a dramatic scene during the meeting, eliciting gasps from those in attendance.
"Mr. Engler then looked directly at me asked, 'Right now if I wrote you a check for $250,000 would you take it?'," 19-year-old Kaylee 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 Rachel Denhollender, and that she gave him a number. I felt like I was being bullied into saying something," Lorincz said. Video via Kellie Rowe:
Denhollender denied having ever met with Engler, per ESPN.
"I just wanted a five-minute conversation to introduce myself and to let President Engler be able to put a face with the word survivor since he has not met with any of the girls," Lorincz later told ESPN. "Five minutes turned into an hour. President Engler's main focus was dollar signs."
A spokesperson for Engler who also attended the meeting told ESPN that he was not trying to buy Lorcinz's silence.
"My interpretation of the discussion was not that he was saying, 'I'm offering you $250,000,'" Emily Gerkin said. "It was a discussion about the civil litigation and how it was going on."