New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara have been accused of covering up child sex abuse at home and at a summer camp associated with their church.
The allegations arose in a lawsuit filed last week in Westchester County State Supreme Court.
“Our lawsuit alleges that Mariano and Clara Rivera had a duty to protect our client and missed the opportunity to save her from the harms of sexual abuse,” Adam Horowitz, one of the attorneys representing the victim, told the New York Mail.
Rivera is pastor of Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle, about 15 miles from Yankee Stadium.
TThe accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” was convinced by Clara to go to Gainesville, Florida for a summer internship that the Ignite Life Center, affiliated with Refuge of Hope, hosted.
While there, Doe was allegedly molested by an older female camper, who was a minor at the time.
Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara are accused of covering up child sexual abuse
Rivera, 55, pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013 and won five World Series titles
The New York Yankees legend is the pastor of Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle
It is alleged that Doe was repeatedly abused in the camp's dormitories and showers, with the older girl “fondling and penetrating” her breasts, buttocks and genitals.
When Doe's mother was notified of the alleged abuse, she contacted Clara to tell her she was “concerned” for her daughter's safety.
The mother was allegedly “assured” by Clara that she would look into it when she and Mariano, a Baseball Hall of Famer, visited the camp themselves.
However, when they arrived, it is alleged that both Mariano and Clara “individually” isolated Doe and “intimidated her into keeping quiet” to “avoid trouble” for the church and summer camp.
When the camp and internship ended, Doe returned to New York and continued to attend Refuge of Hope services.
However, an alleged separate incident of abuse by the same older girl occurred in August 2018 at a barbecue hosted by the Riveras at their then $4 million home in Rye, New York. Parents were not invited.
The older girl was invited over and 'sexually abused again' Doe. It is alleged that she “engaged in acts that would constitute a sexual offense under Article 130 of the New York Penal Code,” the filing said.
Years later, in 2021, Doe was then allegedly sexually abused by the adult son of an associate pastor who worked as a youth leader for the Refuge of Hope.
The Riveras “falsely promoted their operations and premises as safe, moral and otherwise free from risk of harm when they knew or should have known otherwise,” the lawsuit said.
It is alleged that the girl was molested during a barbecue hosted by the Riveras at their New York home
Rivera received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump at the White House
Rivera, 55, pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013 and won five World Series titles in The Bronx. He is considered one of the best closers ever and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
He has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump since the reality TV star first ran as a Republican candidate in 2016.
In addition to serving on Trump's Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Council, Rivera also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his dominance on the mound and his inspiring journey from Panama to the Major Leagues.
Rivera ranks first in MLB history with 652 saves and remains the only player ever unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).
DailyMail.com has contacted the Riveras, the Yankees and the Refuge of Hope Church for comment.
