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Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Riverathey were accused of covering up child sexual abuse in their home and at their church.
The allegations were made against Marian, 55, and Clara in a lawsuit filed in New York on Thursday, January 16.
Complaint filed in Westchester County Superior Court and received by the company My Weeklyclaims 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 discovering that a young girl (known as “Jane Doe”) was allegedly being abused by an older minor girl (known as “MG”) and failing to act upon discovery.
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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. Plaintiff’s mother became concerned about her daughter’s safety at the camp after receiving phone calls from Plaintiff, which were then relayed to Clare, 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 the sexual abuse.
Mariano Rivera
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)The complaint reads: “Rather than taking sufficient steps to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe (the victim), the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe into keeping silent about her abuse by MG (the suspect) so that she would not cause 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, N.Y., after Jane Doe returned from summer camp, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges the couple invited the church’s children to a barbecue where Jane Doe was left unattended with MG despite earlier incidents that allegedly occurred at a summer camp in Florida. The children’s parents, including Jane Doe’s mother, were reportedly not invited to the barbecue.
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The complaint alleges that the Riveras failed to take appropriate action and chose to deal with them internally to “avoid the scrutiny, public scandal and potential financial loss of child sexual abuse allegations becoming public information.”
Ruben Tavarez Jr., grown son Associate Pastor Refuge of Hope Ruben Tavarez Sr.he is also accused in the lawsuit of abusing the girl in August 2021.
Baseball star Mariano rose to fame playing 19 seasons as a shortstop 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 the World Series MVP Award that year. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump in 2019. He was unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame that same year.
The Riveras have not yet responded to the lawsuit and do not have an attorney listed.
