New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara have denied bombshell allegations that they covered up child sexual abuse at their home and church.
The allegations were laid out 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 have insisted that they are innocent and the claims are ‘completely false’.
The statement says: ‘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.
‘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. This 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 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.’
Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara have been accused of covering up child sexual abuse
Rivera, 55, pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013 and won five World Series titles
‘The Riveras are known throughout New York for their charitable work and especially for their commitment to serving underprivileged children. It’s unfortunate they are being targeted by false allegations.’
Rivera is the pastor of Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle, which is around 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,’ Adam Horowitz, one of the lawyers representing the victim, told the New York Post.
The plaintiff, identified only as ‘Jane Doe’, claims to be convinced by Clara to go to Gainesville, Florida for a summer internship that the Ignite Life Center, which was affiliated with Refuge of Hope, was hosting.
While there Doe, who was a minor at the time, was allegedly abused by an older female camper.
It’s alleged Doe was repeatedly abused in the camp’s dormitory and showers, with the older girl ‘fondling and penetrating’ her breasts, buttocks and genitals.
When Doe’s mother was informed about the alleged abuse, she contacted Clara to tell her she was ‘concerned’ for her daughter’s safety.
The mother was supposedly ‘assured’ by Clara that she would investigate when her and Mariano, a Baseball Hall of Famer, attended the camp themselves.
Rivera received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump at the White House
However, when they arrived, it’s claimed both Mariano and Clara ‘each separately isolated’ Doe and ‘intimidated her to remain silent’ to ‘avoid causing trouble’ for the church and summer camp.
When the camp and internship had concluded, Doe returned to New York and kept attending Refuge of Hope services.
However, an alleged separate incident of abuse by the same older girl, took place in August 2018 at a barbecue that was hosted by the Riveras at their then $4million Rye, New York home. Parents were not invited.
The older girl was invited and ‘once again sexually abused’ Doe. It’s claimed she ‘engaged in acts that would constitute a sexual offense under Article 130 of the New York Penal Law’, according to the filing.
Years later, in 2021, Doe was then allegedly sexually abused by the adult son of an associate pastor, who was working as a youth leader for the Refuge of Hope.
The Riveras ‘falsely 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,’ the lawsuit stated.
Rivera, 55, pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013 and won five World Series titles in The Bronx. He is regarded as one of the greatest-ever closers 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 television star first ran as the Republican nominee in 2016.
In addition to serving on Trump’s Sports, Fitness and Nutrition council, Rivera also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in appreciation for his dominance on the mound and his inspirational journey from Panama to the Major Leagues.
Rivera ranks first in MLB history with 652 saves and remains the only player ever to be unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).
