New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara have denied allegations that they covered up child sex abuse at home and at church.
The allegations were outlined in a lawsuit filed last week in state Supreme Court in Westchester County.
Now, in a statement from their attorney Joseph A. Ruta, the couple has insisted they are innocent and that the claims are “completely false.”
The statement reads: ‘The lawsuit, which seeks monetary damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to act on alleged incidents that were never reported to them, is riddled with inaccurate and misleading statements that we undoubtedly will not allege they will be held before a court. law.’
The Riveras are known throughout New York for their charity work and especially for their commitment to underprivileged children. It is unfortunate that they are the target of false accusations.”
Ruta added in the statement that the Riveras did not become aware of the claims until 2022, when an attorney contacted them with a demand letter.
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
He says: ‘This was followed by a second letter in 2023, from another law firm in Florida, again asking for a financial settlement.’
Rivera is pastor of Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle, about 15 miles from Yankee Stadium.
“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,” said Adam Horowitz, one of the attorneys representing the victim. told the New York Post.
TThe accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” claims to have been 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, who was underage at the time, was allegedly molested by an older female camper.
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.
Rivera received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump at the White House
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 assaulted 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.
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.
The New York Yankees legend is the pastor of Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle
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).