Hall of Fame baseball player Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, have been accused of failing to protect a minor from sexual abuse and are being sued for “negligent supervision” and “premises liability.”
Rivera was a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1995-2013. Rivera spent his entire MLB career with the New York Yankees, where he won five World Series Championships with the team. He was named World Series MVP in 1999.
Rivera played 13 All-Star games, holds the record for most saves in the MLB, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame during the his first year of eligibility in 2019. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest closing pitchers of all time.
Clara serves as the senior pastor of Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle, New York. According to the church’s website, “Refuge of Hope began in 2009 in the home of Mariano and Clara Rivera. A small group of individuals would meet for a time of prayer and sharing on a regular basis.”
After the group quickly grew, the church evolved into what it is today.
Lawsuit Claims Riveras’ Failed To Protect and Report Sexual Abuse of a Minor
In a lawsuit that was filed against Refuge of Hope and the Riveras’ former estate on Jan. 16, Brook View Rye LLC claims that a minor, identified as Jane Doe, who attended the church was sexually abused at a summer camp in 2018.
Doe’s mother claims that at Clara’s encouragement, Doe attended a summer internship that was being held at Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida. Upon Doe’s arrival, she was housed with “a much older camper who also attended Refuge of Hope,” identified in the suit as “MG.” The suit claims that during Doe’s stay, she was “repeatedly sexually abused” in both the camp’s dormitory and shower.
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Doe’s mother became concerned for her daughter after she learned some information while talking with Doe on the phone.
The Riveras’ Investigated Sexual Abuse Claims, Then Failed To Report; Suit Claims More Abuse Resulted
Doe’s mother expressed concern for her daughter’s safety to Clara, and the lawsuit says that Clara assured Doe’s mother that “she would investigate [her] report and respond accordingly.”
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“Ms. Rivera and her husband, Refuge of Hope employee/volunteer/agent Mariano Rivera, then traveled from New York to Florida to see Doe at the Ignite Life Summer Internship,” the suit reads. “During that trip, the Riveras, in their capacity as agents for [Doe and her mother], learned or should have learned information that Doe was being sexually abused by MG.”