Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara Riverahave been accused of concealing the sexual abuse of children 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 Westchester County Superior Court and received by Us Weeklyalleges that the Riveras covered up the abuse of a young girl associated with their church, Refuge 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 being abused by an older minor girl (known as “MG”) and failed to act upon the discovery.
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The alleged abuse occurred during a 2018 summer internship at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, a program that was supported by Refuge of Hope Church. The plaintiff was encouraged to attend the practice by Klara, 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 suit.
According to the complaint, the Riveras left New York for summer camp in Florida, where they “learned or should have learned information” about the sexual abuse.
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 each individually isolated and intimidated Jane Doe into remaining silent about her abuse by MG (the suspect ) to avoid causing trouble 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, NY after Jane Doe returned from summer camp, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges the couple invited church children to a barbeque where Jane Doe was left unattended with MG, despite previous incidents that allegedly occurred 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 Riveras failed to take appropriate action and chose to handle them domestically to “avoid scrutiny, public scandal and potential financial loss from allegations of child sexual abuse becoming public information.”
Ruben Tavarez Jr., grown son of Associate Pastor Refuge of Hope Ruben Tavarez Sr.is also accused in the lawsuit of abusing the girl in August 2021.
Baseball star Mariano found fame playing 19 seasons as a closer for the New York Yankees. 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. 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 yet to respond to the lawsuit and do not have an attorney listed.
