Mariano Rivera and Wife Clara Break Silence on Allegations They Covered Up Child Sex Abuse at Their Church
MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Rivera have denied accusations that they covered up a child sex abuse scandal in order to protect their church.
Clara Rivera and Mariano Rivera. Photo:
James Devaney/WireImage
MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Rivera have denied accusations that they covered up a child sex abuse scandal in order to protect their church.
An attorney for the Riveras said in a statement Thursday, Jan. 23 that the New York Yankees legend and his wife deny the claims made in a lawsuit filed last week in the New York Supreme Court.
âMariano 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,â the coupleâs attorney, Joseph A. Ruta, told the New York Post.Â
âThe 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,â the Riverasâ attorney continued. âThis was followed by a second letter in 2023, from a different Florida law firm, again requesting a financial settlement. The lawsuit, which seeks financial damages for the Riverasâ 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.â
An attorney representing the plaintiff did not immediately return PEOPLEâs message seeking comment in response to the Riverasâ denial.
PEOPLE reported Wednesday that Rivera, 55, and his wife were named in the New York lawsuit, which claims the couple ignored the sexual abuse of a young girl who was a member of their Refuge of Hope Church in Westchester County, New York.Â
Clara Rivera and Mariano Rivera.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
The minor, who was born in 2007 and identified in the lawsuit as âMG,â was allegedly abused by an older girl in the church during a 2018 summer internship program at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Fla., and then again at a barbecue that took place at the Riverasâ home in Rye, N.Y., the filing alleges.
âRather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe to remain silent about her abuse by MG to avoid causing trouble for Refuge of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship,â court documents read.
The complaint also alleges that the young girl was sexually abused by Ruben Tavarez Jr., the son of the Refuge of Hope associate pastor Ruben Tavarez Sr., in August 2021. The filing alleges that the Riveras âfalsely promoted their activities and premises as being safe, moral, and otherwise free of a risk of harm when it knew or should have known otherwise."Â
The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial.Â
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The Refuge of Hope church was founded in the Riveras' home in 2009 while he was still a pitcher for the Yankees.
After he retired in 2013 and began focusing more of his life on religion and philanthropy, Rivera purchased a local, 107-year-old church in New Rochelle, New York, that needed renovations and poured $3 million into rehabbing the building. The couple moved the operations to the newly renovated building in 2014.
Clara is the churchâs head pastor.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.