New York Yankees Corridor of Famer Mariano Rivera and his spouse, Clara, are denying accusations from a younger lady who claims they didn’t act after she was sexually abused at a program affiliated with their church, and once more at their house.
“Mariano and Clara Rivera do not tolerate child abuse of any kind, and allegations that they knew about or failed to act on reports of child abuse are completely false,” their lawyer, Joseph Ruta, mentioned in an announcement. “The very first time they heard about these allegations was nearly four years after the alleged incident, when in 2022 a New York attorney sent a letter requesting a financial settlement.”
The particular allegations in opposition to the Riveras have been outlined in a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Westchester County on behalf of the alleged sufferer and her mom, whose identities have been hid for his or her privateness. Based on the courtroom paperwork, the lady was an lively member of the Refuge of Hope Church — a home of worship co-founded by the Riveras, the place Clara Rivera serves as pastor — when the assault occurred in 2018.
Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle, N.Y., the place Clara Rivera serves as senior pastor. (Google)
That summer time, in keeping with the grievance, Clara Rivera persuaded a congregant to permit her daughter, who was 10 or 11 years previous on the time, to attend an internship program hosted by the Ignite Life Heart, a sister church in Gainesville, Fla.
Refuge of Hope provided to pay for the lady to take part in the summertime camp, so she accepted the invitation after which traveled to the Sunshine state, spending her time there in a dorm with different youngsters however with out parental supervision. That’s the place she was repeatedly abused by an older feminine camper, in keeping with the lawsuit.
In a police report filed in 2022, the lady mentioned there have been 15 cases of inappropriate touching over a two-week interval, each in her bunk and a bathe.
Whereas the lady didn’t initially report the abuse, her mom grew involved whereas talking to her daughter on the cellphone. She then outlined her considerations to Clara Rivera, who agreed to research, in keeping with the grievance. The Riveras’ subsequent efforts uncovered “information that should have given them concern,” the lawsuit says, however they selected as an alternative to stay silent to “avoid the potential scandal of child sexual abuse in its programs.”
The particular particulars of the couple’s investigation weren’t supplied.
Upon her return to New York, the lady continued to be concerned with Refuge For Hope Church. However that very same summer time, throughout a barbecue for congregants on the Riveras’ house in Rye, she was once more abused by the identical individual, in accordance the lawsuit.
“They failed to mitigate the risks, and upon learning that she had been a victim, took no steps to protect her or get criminal justice,” mentioned the legal professional who filed the lawsuit, Adam Horowitz. “They continued to expose her again to the same risk at her home.”
Then in 2021, the lady was once more sexually assaulted, this time by a male youth chief at Refuge of Hope, in keeping with the lawsuit. Afterward, she and her mom lastly determined to file police reviews in each New York and Florida.
Their lawsuit — filed in opposition to the Refuge of Hope church, not in opposition to the Riveras themselves —is searching for unspecified damages.
“The lawsuit, which seeks financial damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to act on alleged incidents that were never reported to them, is full of inaccurate and misleading statements which we have no doubt will not hold up in a court of law,” Ruta mentioned.
“The Riveras are known throughout New York for their charitable work and especially for their commitment to serving underprivileged children,” he added. “It’s unfortunate they are being targeted by false allegations.”
Initially Printed: January 24, 2025 at 11:19 AM EST
