New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his wife are facing bombshell allegations that the couple covered up serial sexual abuse of a child affiliated with their church.
Plaintiffs “Jane A Doe” and “Mother A Doe” filed a civil lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Westchester County in New York last week, according to court documents obtained by Page Six,
Rivera, a baseball hall of famer and arguably the greatest relief pitcher of all-time, became the lead pastor of the Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle, N.Y., after his retirement. His wife, Clara, reportedly is in charge of the church’s day-to-day operations.
According to the complaint, Clara allegedly convinced Mother Doe to allow her daughter to travel to Gainesville, Fla., to participate in a summer internship in 2018 with the Ignite Life Center, which was supported by Refuge of Hope.
Jane Doe alleges that while there, an older minor girl — whom she identifies as “MG” — sexually abused her “repeatedly” in the dorm and shower “by fondling and penetrating (her) breasts, buttocks and genitals against (her) will.”
Per the filing, Jane called her mother and told her what allegedly had happened, which prompted Mother Doe to inform Clara.
The Riveras allegedly travelled to see Jane at the summer camp and “learned or should have learned information that (she) was being sexually abused by MG.”
The filing alleged that the Riveras attempted to intimidate the younger girl to stay quiet about the alleged abuse.
“Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane A Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimated (her) to remain silent about her abuse by MG to avoid causing trouble for (Refuge of Hope) and the Ignite Life Summer Internship,” the claim states.
Per the complaint, after the internship ended and both Doe and MG returned to New York – where they continued to attend church services, the Riveras allegedly hosted a barbecue at their former home “only for the minor children who attended” the summer camp, as “parents, including but not limited to Mother A Doe, were not invited.”
“During the barbecue, MG once again sexually abused the minor Jane A Doe,” the filing states, going on to allege that the Riveras “should have known that MG had a propensity to sexually abuse Jane A Doe prior to the barbecue, yet they took no action to protect Jane A Doe from her.”
Jane also alleges in the suit that she was sexually abused in 2021 by an adult male youth leader who also was the son of a Refuge of Hope associate pastor.
According to the New York Times, it was not immediately clear who was representing the Riveras and their church. None of the accused parties have commented on the allegations.