Mariano Rivera, Wife Accused of Child Sexual Abuse Cover Up: Court Docs
Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara Riverathey are accused of hiding child abuse in their homes and churches.
These allegations were made by Mariano, 55, and Clara in a lawsuit filed in New York on Thursday, January 16.
The complaint, was filed in the Superior Court of Westchester County 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 in the church while Clara manages its daily activities. They were accused of negligence after finding this young girl (known as “Jane Doe”) allegedly abused by an older girl (known as “MG”) and did not take action following the discovery.
The alleged abuse occurred during a training session in the summer of 2018 at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, a program sponsored by the Refuge of Hope church. The plaintiff was encouraged by Clara to participate in the internship, which her mother suggested, according to the complaint. The appellant’s mother became concerned about her daughter’s safety at the camp following the calls from the appellant, and raised them with Clara, 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 were supposed to learn information” about sexual harassment.
The complaint reads: “Instead of taking adequate steps to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe (the victim), the Riveras separated and threatened Jane Doe to keep quiet about her abuse by MG (the suspect) in order to avoid causing problems at the Refuge. Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship.”
The alleged abuse then continued at a barbecue at the couple’s former home in Rye, NY following Jane Doe’s return from summer camp, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the couple invited church children to a bar where Jane Doe was left unsupervised with MG despite previous incidents that allegedly took place at the Florida camp. The children’s parents, including Jane Doe’s mother, were reportedly not invited to the restaurant.
The complaint alleges that the Riveras did not take appropriate action and chose to deal with it internally to “avoid the scrutiny, public embarrassment, and potential financial loss resulting from allegations of child sexual abuse becoming public knowledge.”
Ruben Tavarez Jr., the eldest son of the Refuge of Hope Associate Pastor Ruben Tavarez Sr.He is accused in the case of harassing this girl in August 2021.
Baseball star Mariano found fame playing 19 seasons as the closer for the New York Yankees. During his tenure from 1995 to 2013, he was 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 not responded to the lawsuit and do not have an attorney listed.
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