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Yankees icon Mariano Rivera, wife Clara at center of bombshell sexual assault lawsuit

Yankees great and baseball Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara are accused of concealing sexual abuse of minors at their home in Rye, New York, and at a church-affiliated summer camp. facing.

The bombshell lawsuit, seen by the Post, was filed last week in state Supreme Court in Westchester County after Liberace learned that a girl connected to Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle had been sexually abused. They claim the couple failed to take action.

“In our case, Mariano and Clara Rivera have a duty to protect our client and save her from sexual abuse,” said Adam Horowitz of the Horowitz Law Firm, one of the attorneys representing the victim. “They claim it was a missed opportunity.” To the post.

Representatives for Mr. Rivera did not respond to requests for comment from The Post regarding the amended complaint.

Mariano Rivera, 42, stands on the field with his wife Clara (right) and son Mariano Rivera Jr. (left) during a ceremony before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Yankee Stadium in 2013. Sports Illustration (Getty Images)

At Clara's suggestion, the plaintiff, known as Jane Doe, took a summer internship in 2018 at Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, where she was exposed to abuse by an older girl who was a minor at the time. It is said that there was.

Doe claims that she was repeatedly sexually abused in the camp's dormitory and shower room, including by an older girl who “fondled and penetrated” her breasts, buttocks and genitals.

Mariano and Clara Rivera then headed to Ignite Life Center in Gainesville after Jane Doe's mother expressed “concerns for Jane Doe's safety at summer camp,” the complaint said. It's dark.

The mother said she was “confident” that Clara would consider her concerns and “address them accordingly.”

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the 9th inning of a 1997 game. 97.6.7

But the lawsuit alleges that when the Riveras traveled and “knew or should have learned” that sexual abuse was taking place, they “separately isolated Jane Doe. “He threatened her to keep quiet about the abuse.” “Avoid causing problems” for both church organizations.

The girl returned to New York after completing her internship and continued to attend services at Refuge of Hope, according to the complaint.

Another alleged sexual abuse incident occurred in August 2018 at Rivera's then-residence on Brookview Lane in Rye, New York, during a barbecue for children at Refuge of Hope Church. , parents were not invited to the event.

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Mariano Rivera, formerly of the New York Yankees, stands next to the Hall of Fame plaque and speaks to the crowd with his wife Clara at the 2019 ceremony. Getty Images
His Tuesday, February 4, 2014 photo shows Refugio de Esperanza (Shelter of Hope) Church in New Rochelle, New York. robert calfas

Earlier in the year, the older girl who had allegedly abused the victim was invited and told Jane Doe that he “engaged in conduct that constituted a sex crime under New York Penal Code Section 130 and sexually abused her again.” The complaint states:

The lawsuit also alleges that the girl was sexually abused by the adult son of the church's associate pastor.

Ruben Tavares Jr., the son of Ruben Tavares Sr., abused her in late 2021 and 2022, according to a post on the Horowitz Law Firm's website. He continued to keep in touch with her.”

The Liberases “falsely promoted their activities and facilities as safe, moral, and free from other risks of harm, even though they knew or should have known.” ” the lawsuit states.

Former New York Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera joins his wife Clara Rivera (right) and church member Diana Santos (center) at their new church, Refugio de Esperanza (Refuge of Hope). Smiling at the ribbon cutting to commemorate the opening of “Tokoro''. Congregation, Thursday, March 6, 2014, in New Rochelle. AP

Rivera pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013, winning five World Series championships with the Bronx Bombers and totaling 652 saves.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-4224453 or text the number with “BEGIN” Please send a text message.

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