Lawsuit accused Yankees legend Mariano Rivera, wife of covering up sex abuse claim

One of the people accused is a church leader and the other is an older girl who abused the child for several months at a summer camp.

Brittany Cadet

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Jan 23, 2025, 5:14 PM

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Updated 6 days ago

A lawsuit has been filed against former Yankee star Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara Rivera for covering up a sexual abuse of a minor.

The minor has not been named in the complaint, however it states she was sexually abused by two people while attending a summer camp. That summer camp is said to be run by an affiliate of the church the Riveras founded called Refugio De Esperanza in New Rochelle. The lawsuit states that the abuse dates back to 2018 when the child was just 10 years old.

One of the people accused is a church leader and the other is an older girl who abused the child for several months at a summer camp. It also took place at a home that belonged to the Riveras.

The lawsuit claims the Riveras knew about the abuse after the mother contacted them when she received a strange phone call from her daughter while she was away. The complaint states the Riveras were going to investigate the claims but instead intimidated the child into keeping quiet.

The child's family attorney released a statement saying quote "Our lawsuit alleges that Mariano and Clara Rivera had a duty to protect our client and missed the opportunity to save her from the harms of child sexual abuse.”

New 12 crews went over to the location of the church in New Rochelle for comment, and called the number listed on the website. We have yet to hear back.

Joseph A. Ruta, a lawyer representing the Riveras issued the following statement:

Mariano and Clara Rivera do not tolerate child abuse of any kind and allegations that they knew about or failed to act on reports of child abuse are completely false. The very first time they heard about these allegations was nearly four years after the alleged incident, when in 2022 a New York attorney sent a letter requesting a financial settlement. This was followed by a second letter in 2023, from a different Florida law firm, again requesting a financial settlement.

The lawsuit, which seeks financial damages for the Riveras’ alleged failure to act on alleged incidents that were never reported to them, is full of inaccurate and misleading statements which we have no doubt will not hold up in a court of law.

The Riveras are known throughout New York for their charitable work and especially for their commitment to serving underprivileged children. It’s unfortunate they are being targeted by false allegations.