Yankees legend Mariano Rivera, wife Clara deny covering up child sex abuse

Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his spouse, Clara, denied allegations made in a bombshell lawsuit that they lined up the sexual abuse of a minor of their Rye, N.Y., dwelling and at a summer season camp related with their church in 2018. 

“Mariano and Clara Rivera don’t tolerate youngster abuse of any variety and allegations that they knew about or didn’t act on stories of kid abuse are utterly false,” Joseph A. Ruta, the Riveras’ lawyer, mentioned Thursday in an announcement. “The very first time they heard about these allegations was practically 4 years after the alleged incident, when in 2022 a New York lawyer despatched a letter requesting a monetary settlement. This was adopted by a second letter in 2023, from a distinct Florida legislation agency, once more requesting a monetary settlement. 

“The lawsuit, which seeks monetary damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to behave on alleged incidents that have been by no means reported to them, is filled with inaccurate and deceptive statements which we now have little doubt won’t maintain up in a courtroom of legislation.” 

The lawsuit, filed final week in state Supreme Courtroom in Westchester, alleges that the plaintiff, known as Jane Doe, was repeatedly sexually abused within the dorm and bathe by an older woman on the Ignite Life Middle in Gainesville, Fla. 

Although Jane Doe’s mom was mentioned to have been “assured” that Clara would “reply accordingly” to the allegations, the Riveras “every individually remoted and intimated Jane Doe to stay silent about her abuse” when the couple traveled to the camp, the lawsuit alleges. 

After Jane Doe returned dwelling and continued to attend companies on the Riveras’ New Rochelle church, Refuge of Hope, the identical woman accused of sexually abusing Doe allegedly did so once more throughout a barbecue for kids on the Riveras’ dwelling in Rye in August 2018; dad and mom weren’t invited. 

Doe was additionally allegedly sexually abused in 2021 and ’22 by Ruben Tavarez Jr., the grownup son of Ruben Tavarez Sr., who’s an affiliate pastor on the church, and Tavarez Jr. “continued to contact her to have interaction in graphic digital communications,” in accordance with a publish on the web site of Horowitz Regulation, which is representing the plaintiff. 

“Our lawsuit alleges that Mariano and Clara Rivera had an obligation to guard our shopper and missed the chance to avoid wasting her from the harms of sexual abuse,” Adam Horowitz, one of many legal professionals representing Doe, mentioned in an announcement supplied to The Submit on Wednesday. 

Rivera, 55, spent his complete 19-year Corridor of Fame profession with the Yankees, profitable 5 World Sequence and recording probably the most saves (652) in MLB historical past.

When you or somebody has been affected by any of the problems raised on this story, name the Childhelp Nationwide Baby Abuse Hotline at 800-4224453 or textual content BEGIN to that quantity.