Mariano Rivera, wife Clara accused in a lawsuit of covering up the allegation of sexual abuse of children

ONE lawsuit filed this week accused Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, for covering up the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl who was a member of their church in New Rochelle, NY

Rivera, who was the closer for the New York Yankees for 17 seasons, and his wife are said to have “isolated and intimidated” the girl into remaining silent about her abuse to prevent problems for Refuge of Hope, the church the couple co-founded, said the trial.

Refuge of Hope is part of the wider Assembly of God religion and organization.

The lawsuit, filed by the girl, now 17, and her mother, neither of whom is named to protect their privacy, seeks unspecified damages for negligent supervision and premises liability. The Riveras have been identified for their alleged roles but are not named as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, Clara Rivera, who serves as a pastor at the church, told the mother that the girl should attend a summer internship through the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida, another Assemblies of God church.

The complaint alleges that Refuge of Hope paid for the girl to attend and required her to live in a dormitory with other children without parental supervision. Court documents say an older female camper, identified in the lawsuit only as “MG,” repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl, who was about 11 at the time, in the dormitory and shower.

The girl told her mother about the abuse and then reported her concerns to Clara Rivera, who told the mother she would look into it and get back to her, the lawsuit said. But the situation was not corrected, court documents say, and Riveras allegedly told the mother the girl was “safe and not in danger.”

The abuse continued at the Riveras’ home during a barbecue after the girl returned from the internship, according to the lawsuit. The couple reportedly did not invite parents to the event, only the church’s children, and the girl was left unsupervised with “MG” even after knowing about the abuse.

The Riveras are accused of failing to take appropriate action and handle the allegations internally to “avoid scrutiny, public scandal and potential financial loss from allegations of child sexual abuse becoming public information,” the lawsuit says.

A Refuge of Hope youth leader, Ruben Tavarez Jr., who is the son of an associate pastor, is accused of abusing the girl in 2021, which included “graphic electronic communications of a sexual nature.” It ended when the girl’s mother confronted Tavarez, according to the lawsuit.

Last month, affiliated members of the Assemblies of God settled three lawsuits who alleged similar abuse of minors. A former Ignite Life Center employee stepped in enter into a grievance agreement in connection with sexual assault.