Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Riveraare accused of covering up child sexual abuse in their home and in their church.
The allegations were made against Mariano, 55, and Clara in a lawsuit filed in New York on Thursday, January 16.
The complaint, filed in the Superior Court of Westchester County and received by Us Weeklyalleged that the Riveras covered up the abuse of a young girl associated with their church, Sanctuary of Hope in New Rochelle, New York.
Mariano is the lead pastor at the church, while Clara is in charge of its day-to-day operations. They are accused of negligence after they discovered that the young girl (known as “Jane Doe”) was allegedly abused by an older underage girl (known as “MG”) and failed to take action after the discovery.
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The alleged abuse occurred during a summer internship in 2018. at Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, a program that was supported by Refuge of Hope Church. The plaintiff was encouraged to participate in the internship by Clara, who suggested it to her mother, according to the complaint. The plaintiff’s mother became concerned about her daughter’s safety at the camp after phone calls from the plaintiff, which she then raised with Clara, who assured Jane Doe’s mother that she would investigate further, according to the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, the Riveras traveled from New York to a summer camp in Florida where they “learned or should have learned information” about sexual assault.
Mariano Rivera
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)The complaint states: “Instead of taking sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe (the victim), the Riveras individually isolated and intimidated Jane Doe into remaining silent about her abuse by MG (the suspect) in order to avoid causing problems for Refuge of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship.”
The alleged abuse then continued at a barbecue at the couple’s former home in Rye, New York after Jane Doe returned from summer camp, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that the couple invited the church’s children to the barbecue where Jane Doe was left unattended with the MG despite earlier incidents that allegedly took place at summer camp in Florida. The children’s parents, including Jane Doe’s mother, were allegedly not invited to the barbecue.
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The complaint alleges that the Riveras failed to take appropriate action and chose to handle it internally to “avoid scrutiny, public scandal and potential financial loss from allegations of child sexual abuse becoming public knowledge.”
Ruben Tavarez Jr., the grown son of the Associate Pastor of Refuge of Hope Ruben Tavarez Srwas also charged in the case of molesting the girl in August 2021.
Baseball star Mariano rose to fame playing 19 seasons as a closer for the New York Yankees. During his stay from 1995 to 2013 he became a 13-time MLB All-Star and a five-time World Series champion. In 1999 he won the World Series MVP award for that year. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in 2019. That same year, he was unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Riveras have not yet responded to the lawsuit and do not have an attorney named.
