Kaylee Lorincz
date of testimony: January 23th 2018
location of testimony: Lansing, Michigan
age at first abuse: 13
Your Honor, do you mind if I address the defendant directly throughout my statement? Thank you.
Larry, as I look at you today I feel nauseous even standing in front of you, like the feeling as if I’m being assaulted by you all over again.
You first saw me at 11 years old, and I can say that I was never so excited to see a doctor before. It didn’t seem like I was going to see a doctor at all. It was more like the feeling of going to see a celebrity to help me get back into the sport that I loved. Your reputation in the sport of gymnastics was like no other, and I can vividly remember the patient room I was in for most of my appointments. Seeing all of the gymnastics posters of Olympians and cards from gymnasts on the walls of the room was just another reason why I thought you were so great.
But at 13, my third appointment with you in August 2012, you stole my innocence from me. After your normal examination you had asked me to change into an orange striped, baggy pair of shorts which you had never asked me to do before. Then you walked back into the room and asked me to lay on my stomach on the patient table.
As you moved closer and closer to an area so private, so off limits, I began to feel more uncomfortable, confused and afraid both at the same time.
All I could do was question in my head why you were doing this to me in hope that soon it would be over. 15 to 20 minutes went by when you stopped and I thought to myself, it’s finally over. But you weren’t finished yet. You assaulted me again and again. I fought back tears and I felt so dirty. From that point on my life was forever changed.
Immediately following that appointment I no longer loved the sport of gymnastics and I didn’t even know why. Then I realized it didn’t matter because you already told me to quit for an injury I never had, and you knew how much gymnastics meant to me.
I was depressed, had nightmares, and I pushed people away, including my own parents. I was hospitalized twice for severe pain in my left eye causing me to lose vision and numbness in my left arm. The doctors first thought that it was optic neuritis, but neither time could they find a medical reason for my pain. I felt like they thought I was making it up. To this day I still suffer from this condition whenever I’m under extreme stress. I now understand that that is just another consequence of your assaults.
You referred me to physical therapy to somebody who specializes in myofacial release, which is what you called your treatment. When the physical therapist performed myofascial release, however, I was so confused as to why her fingers were never inside of me. I asked my physical therapist at the end of the treatment, that’s myofascial release? That’s not what Larry did to me. She looked at me completely confused, and that’s when it really hit me that something wasn’t right.
For years I held on to this information not sure what to make out of it. It’s like when you’ve been working on a puzzle and you have this one piece that just doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. You keep trying to connect it to the other pieces that are already there, but no matter how hard you try, it just doesn’t fit.
Then in 2016 I was finally able to put the pieces of the puzzle together and realize that my worst fear was true. What I hoped was a legitimate medical procedure was, in fact, a sexual assault.
At the pretrial hearing in May of 2017 I walked into the courtroom to confront you as my abuser known as victim E. I felt like the same scared little 13 year old girl that you assaulted five years prior. Facing you made me sick to my stomach, and you sat there with absolutely no remorse.
When I first started this process I never wanted my identity to be shared, especially when testifying in court. As one of the defense attorneys began questioning me, she abruptly stopped to ask me if she looked familiar. When I answered no, she proceeded to tell me that I coached her daughters at the gym where I worked at and competed at for all of my gymnastics career and even included the gym name. As soon as that information hit the news articles, anyone who knew me could figure out who victim E was.
How is that fair? I understand that defense attorneys have a job to do and I respect that, but it’s how you do your job that matters, so thank you for giving my identity away before I even wanted to.
One of the hardest things that I have done throughout this process was to stand up in front of the MSU Board of Trustees pleading with them to do the right thing. In an effort to get them to understand the monster that you are, I described in detail through sobs and tears what you did to me in that third appointment. What I forgot to share with them was that prior to the assault you handed me a pin from the 2012 Olympics to ensure my silence, telling me how special I was and that I was one of the people you thought of when you got them. Not sure if you remember that. I haven’t been able to look at that pin since.
Your actions have kept me awake at night crying uncontrollably and wanting to come home from school; my freshman year of school that I’m supposed to be enjoying. I’m afraid to go to sleep every night, afraid that I will have yet another nightmare. You have taken away my trust in others and for me to be able to form relationships with anybody.
You took away the trust of my parents which no child should ever question. None of this was ever their fault but you led me to believe that because my parent was sitting in the room just feet away and you still didn’t mind violating that trust that we had in you. You made every day conversation while you were assaulting me as well as comments to me which I will never forget. How does this feel? And, does this make you feel better, Kaylee? I only said yes holding back my tears, pain, and disgust in hopes that you would stop.
So, Larry, I ask you, how are you feeling right now? The audacity you had in doing this to a little girl, especially with her parent sitting in the room, is sickening. I can’t even go to the doctor by myself or sit on a patient table without replaying my assault over and over in my head, afraid that another doctor will betray me just like you did.
And still today I question myself whether I know what’s right and what’s wrong, having a hard time being able to even trust myself.
Ultimately, Larry, you made a critical mistake. You underestimated the mind, power, and will of your victims; these amazing, accomplished athletes. While we were mentally strong enough to endure your countless hours of abuse, strong enough to endure the pain of keeping your secret, strong enough to be pushed down and repressed by MSU, USAG, and the USOC, we were ultimately strong enough to take you down. Not one by one but by an army of survivors. We are Jane Does no more.
I will always love gymnastics but I will never be able to look at the sport the same because of you. Now as I look to the future, I plan to pursue a career in criminal justice. I’m hoping that by working to put monsters like you away, I might be able to stop the nightmares and start healing.
There is peace in knowing that you will never be able to walk the streets again and hurt any other little girls.
Judge Aquilina, this monster deserves nothing but the absolute maximum sentence that this court can impose under this plea agreement.
Larry, if you haven’t listened to one thing I have said, you need to look at me and listen. I only hope that when you get a chance to speak, you tell us who knew what and when they knew it. Did Dean Strampel know? Did Brooke Lemmen know? How much did Kathie Klages know? Did Mark Hollis ever talk to you about your treatments? Did anyone on the board of trustees know? Did Lou Anna Simon know? And, lastly, did John Geddert know you were stealing the innocence of little girls in the back room of his gym? If you truly want us to heal, you will do this for us. Thank you.
THE COURT: Those were some big, strong words, and I hope you’re not nauseous anymore, because you just vomited your words all over him, and you look like you feel better.
MS. LORINCZ: I do.
THE COURT: Good. Once in a while it works when you vomit.
You are a really strong sister survivor and you’re strong enough to talk in court. Your voice is strong. Your passion is there. I can tell you’re healed, and your sister survivors are healing as well, and your voice of change has been echoed over and over again, and it’s happening, and your voice is so strong. You’re not just taking down this predator but other predators and allowing other men and women to talk about what’s happened to them, because there are so many others who haven’t come forward in other cases, even in this one. We know that. The numbers tell us that. But you are going to do very, very well. You have a strong will. You have your power back. You have your light back, and what do you want to do in criminal justice?
MS. LORINCZ: I’m undecided about that. Either in the courtroom or criminal investigator.
THE COURT: Well, either one is great. Both will bring you into the courtroom.
MS. LORINCZ: Yeah.
THE COURT: And I’m hoping if you practice, you get to practice in front of me.
MS. LORINCZ: I would love that.
THE COURT: So would I. And maybe I can swear you into the bar. That would be my honor.
MS. LORINCZ: Thank you.
THE COURT: So you let me know, okay?
MS. LORINCZ: Thank you.
THE COURT: Thank you so much for being here. You are a strong light. Keep shining.
MS. LORINCZ: Thank you so much.
THE COURT: Actually, can I ask you one more question? And your words were just so powerful I’m so sorry I forgot to ask. Are you asking for restitution?
MS. LORINCZ: Yes, ma’am.
THE COURT: Okay. I’m going to order that for you and for all the victims, survivors now. It’s important, so I need you and your family to gather the bills.
MS. LORINCZ: Thank you.
