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Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara are being accused of covering up child sexual abuse at a Christian summer camp affiliated with their church and in their own home. In a lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court on January 16, the 55-year-old retired New York Yankees pitcher and his wife are being accused of allegedly ignoring the sexual abuse of a young girl, who was a member of his Refuge of Hope Church in Westchester County, N.Y. Keep reading to find out more…According the lawsuit obtained by People, the minor, who was born in 2007, is identified as Jane Doe in the complaint while her alleged abuser, an older female minor, is referred to as “MG.” The sexual abuse allegedly took place back in the summer of 2018 during an internship program at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Fla, which is affiliated with Rivera‘s church. Clara serves as the Refuge of Hope’s head pastor, according to the church’s website. The documents allege that “The Ignite Summer Internship required children to reside at Ignite Life Center for the duration of the program, without parental supervision.” The complaint alleges that Rivera “paid Jane Doe’s expenses” in order to “ensure she could attend the summer program.” “Rather 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,” the court docs read. MG is also accused of allegedly abusing Jane Doe again at a BBQ held at the Riveras‘ Brook View home later that same summer. The Riveras no longer live at that property. The court documents also allege that Jane Doe was sexually abused by Ruben Tavarez Jr., the son of the Refuge of Hope associate pastor Ruben Tavarez Sr., in August 2021. The complaint alleges that 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.” According to the church’s website, Mariano and Clara founded Refuge of Hope at their home in 2009. At some point, they expanded and took over the North Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Rochelle, N.Y. The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial. As of right now, the Riveras have not yet publicly addressed the accusations.
