Yankees Hall of Fame Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Riverahave been accused of covering up child sexual abuse in their homes and churches.
Mariano, 55, and Clara were charged in a lawsuit filed Thursday, January 16, in New York.
Complaint filed in the Superior Court of Westchester County and received Us Weeklyclaims that Riveras covered up the abuse of a young girl associated with their church, Refuge of Hope in New Rochelle, New York.
Mariano is the main pastor of the parish, while Clara is responsible for its daily activities. They are accused of negligence after they discovered that the young girl (known as “Jane Doe”) was being abused by an older minor girl (known as “MG”) and failed to take action after the discovery.
The alleged abuse occurred during a 2018 summer internship at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, a program supported by the church's Refuge of Hope. At the practice, the plaintiff was encouraged to participate by Clara, who recommended it to her mother, the complaint said. Plaintiff's mother became concerned about her daughter's safety at the camp after Plaintiff's phone calls, which she then made to Clara, who assured Jane Doe's mother that she would investigate further in accordance with the claim.
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 the sexual assault.
The complaint states: “Instead of taking sufficient steps to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe (the victim), the Riveras each isolated and intimidated Jane Doe into remaining silent about the abuse by MG (the suspect) in order to avoid trouble at the Refuge. Hope and the Ignite Life summer internship.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse continued at a barbecue at the couple's former home in Rye, N.Y., after Jane Doe returned from summer camp. The lawsuit says the couple invited church kids to a barbecue where Jane Doe was left unattended with MG, despite previous incidents that allegedly took place at a Florida summer camp. The children's parents, including Jane Doe's mother, were not invited to the barbecue.
The complaint alleges that Riveras failed to take appropriate action and chose to handle matters internally to “avoid scrutiny, public scandal and potential financial loss resulting from allegations of child sexual abuse becoming public information.”
Ruben Tavares Jr., grown son of Refuge of Hope associate pastor Ruben Tavares Sr.is also accused in a court case of violence against a girl in August 2021.
Baseball star Mariano rose to fame with the New York Yankees for 19 seasons. During his tenure from 1995 to 2013, he became a 13-time MLB All-Star and a five-time World Series champion. In 1999, he won that year's World Series MVP award. In 2019, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump. He was unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame that same year.
The Riveras have yet to respond to the lawsuit and do not have an attorney listed.
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