Yankees great Mariano Rivera, wife deny covering up sexual abuse of 10-year-old church member

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, January 24, 2025

New York Yankees Corridor of Fame nearer Mariano Rivera and his spouse, Clara, have been accused in a lawsuit of overlaying up the sexual abuse of a minor of their dwelling and at a 2018 summer season camp affiliated with an Assemblies of God church they based in 2009 referred to as the Refugio De Esperanza (the Refuge of Hope).

A grievance filed within the Supreme Court docket of New York in Westchester County per week in the past doesn’t title the plaintiffs — the sufferer and her mom — however lists them as Jane A Doe and Mom A Doe, respectively. 

Famous as defendants are the church and 1 Brook Rye, LLC, a New York restricted legal responsibility firm in Westchester, listed because the proprietor of the couple’s nine-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion at 1 Brook View Lane in Rye, New York. 

A number of the abuse suffered by Jane A Doe, who was born in 2007, is alleged to have taken place on the mansion throughout a youth barbecue.

Refuge of Hope didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from The Christian Submit on Thursday. However the Riveras denied the allegations in a press release from their lawyer to The New York Submit.

“Mariano and Clara Rivera don’t tolerate little one abuse of any form and allegations that they knew about or did not act on experiences of kid abuse are utterly false,” mentioned lawyer Joseph A. Ruta. “The very first time they heard about these allegations was practically 4 years after the alleged incident, when in 2022 a New York lawyer despatched a letter requesting a monetary settlement. This was adopted by a second letter in 2023, from a unique Florida legislation agency, once more requesting a monetary settlement.”

“The lawsuit, which seeks monetary damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to behave on alleged incidents that had been by no means reported to them, is stuffed with inaccurate and deceptive statements which now we have little question won’t maintain up in a court docket of legislation,” Ruta added. 

Rivera performed 19 seasons with the Yankees and is the one participant unanimously inducted into the Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame. He’s the MLB’s all-time chief in saves. The Riveras will not be listed as defendants within the lawsuit. 

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of overlaying up the sexual abuse of Jane A Doe by a number of individuals related with the church, together with, youth chief Ruben Tavarez, the grownup son of an affiliate pastor.

In 2018, the lawsuit alleges that Clara Rivera allegedly advisable to Mom A Doe that Jane A Doe attend a summer season internship on the Ignite Life Middle named the Ignite Summer season Internship in Gainesville, Florida. Additionally affiliated with the Assemblies of God, The Ignite Life Middle settled three lawsuits final month with three plaintiffs alleging the church coated up sexual abuse. 

The plaintiffs declare Clara Rivera paid for Jane A Doe to attend this system, and she or he was “assigned to a dormitory with different youngsters, together with MG, a a lot older camper who additionally attended REFUGIO.” It’s alleged that Jane A Doe, who was about 10 years outdated in 2018, was repeatedly sexually assaulted by MG.

“All through the length of the summer season camp, MG repeatedly sexually abused JANE A DOE within the camp’s dormitory and bathe by fondling and penetrating JANE A DOE’s breasts, buttocks and genitals in opposition to JANE A DOE’s will,” the lawsuit says.

Throughout the camp, the sufferer was allegedly solely allowed to name her dad and mom “sporadically,” and through a kind of calls, the sufferer’s mom discovered info that made her involved about her daughter’s security.

Mom A Doe mentioned she then reached out to Clara Rivera, who the lawsuit says assured her that she would “examine MOTHER A DOE’s report and reply accordingly.” As a substitute of investigating the matter and responding “accordingly,” the lawsuit accuses the Riveras of intimating the sufferer into silence. 

“Ms. Rivera and her husband, REFUGIO worker/volunteer/agent Mariano Rivera, then traveled from New York to Florida to see JANE A DOE on the Ignite Life Summer season Internship. Throughout that journey, the Riveras, of their capability as brokers for DEFENDANTS, discovered or ought to have discovered info that JANE A DOE was being sexually abused by MG,” the lawsuit alleges.

“Fairly than take adequate motion to finish the sexual abuse of JANE A DOE, the Riveras every individually remoted and intimated JANE A DOE to stay silent about her abuse by MG to keep away from inflicting bother for REFUGIO and the Ignite Life Summer season Internship,” it provides.

The lawsuit alleges the couple assured the sufferer’s mom that her daughter was secure on the Ignite Life Middle “regardless of precise or constructive information” that the woman “remained susceptible to extra acts of sexual abuse.” Each Jane A Doe and MG returned to worship in New York at Refugio on the finish of the summer season camp.

The grievance additionally alleges that the Riveras hosted a barbecue for youngsters at their mansion in Rye later that summer season in August 2018, and Jane A Doe was allegedly left unsupervised with MG, who “as soon as once more sexually abused the minor JANE A DOE by partaking in acts that will represent a sexual offense below Article 130 of the New York Penal Regulation.”

“Upon info and perception, DEFENDANTS’ failure to take corrective motion in response to the 2018 allegations on the Ignite Summer season Internship was in keeping with a longtime and ongoing modus operandi by DEFENDANTS to deal with allegations of sexual abuse internally so to keep away from scrutiny, public scandal, and potential monetary losses from allegations of kid sexual abuse changing into public info,” attorneys for the plaintiffs allege.

The lawsuit additionally accuses Tavarez, an grownup male youth chief, of grooming after which sexually abusing Jane A Doe in August 2021.

“The grooming and ‘purple flag behaviors’ occurred whereas the 2 attended REFUGIO occasions and/or on premises owned, operated, and/or managed by REFUGIO. Amongst different issues, TAVAREZ overtly and clearly confirmed inappropriate bodily affection towards JANE A DOE in plain view of workers, volunteers, and brokers of REFUGIO,” the lawsuit states.

“In roughly late 2021 or early 2022, TAVEREZ sexually abused JANE A DOE by partaking her in acts that will represent a sexual offense below Article 130 of the New York Penal Regulation at a REFUGIO occasion, whereas TAVAREZ was working as a REFUGIO youth chief chargeable for the security and safety of JANE A DOE, and on premises owned, operated and/or managed by REFUGIO.”

Tavarez additionally allegedly continued to ship the sufferer sexually graphic digital communication for a number of months after he first sexually abused her till her mom confronted him.

“At the moment, TAVAREZ admitted to his sexual misconduct with JANE A DOE,” states the lawsuit. “In any respect related occasions, TAVEREZ was an worker, volunteer, and/or agent of REFUGIO who knew and gained entry to JANE A DOE by and thru his position with REFUGIO.”