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MSU Official Apologizes for Criticizing Nassar Victims

“There is nothing worse that someone can do to a sexual-assault survivor than to disbelieve and attempt to silence them,” a victim said.

Carol Viventi, the vice president and special counsel to Michigan State University Interim President John Engler, apologized Wednesday for her email that criticized Larry Nassar's abuse victims, according to The Detroit Free Press. The email was sent over the weekend and accused Nassar victim Kaylee Lorincz of making “false and inaccurate statements” at a board meeting. Lorincz claimed Engler was “bullying her” into settling her lawsuit against the university without her lawyer present. “Kaylee's statements to the Board contained many false and inaccurate statements, which we did not publicly contradict out of an abundance of concern for the survivors who are quick to claim ‘revictimization’ or ‘shaming’ of survivors whenever they are falsely accusing members of the MSU community,” Viventi's email said. Viventi issued an apology, saying she “did not think about how my words would make the survivors feel...I’m sorry my words added to their pain.” Lorincz responded, saying, “There is nothing worse that someone can do to a sexual-assault survivor than to disbelieve and attempt to silence them.”