EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State interim President John Engler, in a private email to a top adviser, accused a prominent Nassar survivor - Rachael Denhollander - of getting kickbacks from the trial attorneys involved in lawsuits against the school.
In the same string of emails, Engler's top aide — Carol Viventi — accused MSU board member Brian Mossalam of not doing a good enough job of protecting Engler. The Free Press obtained the emails from a source within the Engler administration. The Chronicle of Higher Education first obtained the emails under a Freedom of Information Act request.
The emails drew swift response, including two calls questioning why Engler was still at the school.
"Until the board of trustees at MSU confront and fire Engler for this sort of repulsive behavior, no reasonable person will believe that MSU is serious about providing a safe environment for its students and staff," Jacob Denhollander, Rachael Denhollander's husband, told the Free Press. "There is no need to refute Engler's comments — they are self-evidently absurd and have not even a remote semblance of truth."
His wife said Engler has it all wrong.
"Engler is so used to focusing on money and power, bullying and manipulating, he can't conceive that I would do what I've done because it's RIGHT, not because I'm getting something from it. I truly pity him. What a sad way to live,” Rachael Denhollander said in a statement. "Engler and Viventi truly think they are the ones who have tried to help survivors, without answering a single question we've asked or acknowledging the incredible failures at MSU. And while attacking us personally. This is the culture of abuse."
Mosallam also questioned Engler's continued employment.
"I think Engler needs to think long and hard whether he is the right person for this job," he told the Free Press. "Rachael Denhollander is an inspiration for her courage and bravery to speak up and the example of leadership that Engler should follow rather than criticize out of jealousy and spite. The idea that any human being, let alone the university's interim president, would question their motives or intentions, lacks empathy but more startling, dignity. I have serious concerns about MSU's ability to turn the page while Engler remains the university's interim president and strong reservations about whether he should continue in that role."
An MSU spokeswoman said the university had no comment on the emails.
The emails were the continuation of a string of emails first uncovered by the Free Press in which Viventi wrote that Nassar victims were making false statements in public in hopes of getting a larger settlement.
The email chain started with Nassar victim Kaylee Lorincz accusing Engler during a board meeting of offering her $250,000 in a private meeting to settle her lawsuit against the university.
That weekend, Viventi emailed board members, saying she wanted to set the record straight. She claimed Lorincz's statements were totally inaccurate and the meeting was set up by Lorincz in order to "set up" the school.
She then went on to say the trial lawyers were manipulating the survivors.
That seemed to strike a chord with Engler.
"Thank you for your strong defense,” Engler wrote in a 9:23 a.m. April 15 email. “It is deeply appreciated. At least we know what really happened. The survivors now are being manipulated by trial lawyers who in the end will each get millions of dollars more than any of (sic) individual survivors with the exception of Denhollander who is likely to get (sic) kickback from Manley (sic) for her role in the trial lawyer manipulation.
“It is too bad we can’t have a debate about who is really trying to help those who were harmed by Nassar. At least, all of the positive changes are beginning to get some modest attention. It will be years before the use and abuse by trial lawyers point is understood."
Viventi responded a few hours later, and attacked Mosallam, who had been critical of Engler. Mosallam is a former MSU football player.
““I figured out that Mosallum (sic) didn’t learn how to be a team player. Instead of saying I’ll have to get the other side, or learn more, he says if it’s true, it’s disgusting. His quarterback is under attack and the instinct is not to defend, but to go along. There’s an assumption that he believes it might be true, rather than an assumption that it couldn’t be true and therefore he’ll make a temporizing statement. So now that I figured out what’s bothering me, I can go back to thinking about all the other problems we have.”
Jacob Denhollander said Engler's "ignorant and revolting comments reveal that the man is incapable of believing that someone could be motivated by something besides money or power. This sort of characterization is entirely at odds with Rachael's character and conduct over the past two years, but is entirely in keeping with Mr. Engler's propensity to denigrate and bully those he regards as opponents.
"It is a perfect example of why victims remain silent — even in the face of overwhelming evidence and hundreds of corroborating testimonies, they are subjected to scorn and character attacks."
Mosallam said his job isn't too protect Engler.
"As a university trustee I have duties of loyalty and care to the institution. To carry out these duties, I have oversight responsibilities of how the administration manages the institution. My job is to protect MSU, not the university president. And in a case like this one, where the university president's judgment, tone and conduct undermine the institution and its reputation, I have an obligation to protect MSU even if it is at the expense of the university president."
Engler took over as interim president after Lou Anna Simon stepped down under extreme pressure over her handling of Nassar, including being in charge when he was cleared by an MSU investigation in 2014 of any wrong doing.
Nassar, the MSU doctor accused of molesting dozens of female students and athletes, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography charges and is in a maximum-security federal prison in Tucson, Ariz. He also faces a 40- to 175-year sentence issued in Ingham County and a 40- to 125-year sentence from Eaton County for sexual assaults.Those sentences will not begin until he finishes the federal sentence.
Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj
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