Yankees Hall of Fame Mariano Rivera and his wife, Claire Riverawere accused of covering up child sexual abuse at their home and 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 Supreme Court and obtained by Us every weekalleges that the Riveras covered up abuse of a young girl connected to their church, Refuge of Hope in New Rochelle, New York.
Mariano is the senior pastor of the church while Clara is responsible for daily operations. They are accused of negligence after discovering that the girl (known as “Jane Doe”) was allegedly abused by an older minor girl (known as “MG”) and failed to act afterward. discovery.
The alleged abuse occurred during a 2018 summer internship at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, a program 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 complainant’s mother became concerned about her daughter’s safety at the camp following phone calls from the complainant, which she then spoke with Clara, who assured Jane Doe’s mother that she would investigate further , according to the suit.
According to allegations in the complaint, the Riveras left New York to go to summer camp in Florida where they “learned or should have learned information” about the sexual abuse.
The complaint reads: “Rather than taking sufficient action to stop the sexual abuse of Jane Doe (the victim), the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe into remaining silent about her abuse by MG (the suspect) to avoid causing problems at 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, N.Y., after Jane Doe returned from summer camp, according to the lawsuit. The suit claims the couple invited church children to the barbecue where Jane Doe was left unsupervised with MG despite previous incidents allegedly taking place at the Florida summer camp. The children’s parents, including Jane Doe’s mother, were reportedly not invited to the barbecue.
The complaint claims the Riveras failed to take appropriate action and chose to deal with them internally in order to “avoid scrutiny, public scandal, and potential financial losses due to allegations of child sexual abuse.” which would become public.
Rubén Tavarez Jr., the adult son of the associate pastor of Shelter of Hope Rubén Tavarez Sr.is also accused in the lawsuit of abusing the girl in August 2021.
Baseball star Mariano rose to fame playing 19 seasons as a closer for the New York Yankees. During his stint from 1995 to 2013, he became a 13-time MLB All-Star and a five-time World Series champion. In 1999, he won the MVP award for that year’s World Series. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in 2019. The 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 listed.