In a lawsuit filed this month, Mariano Rivera and his wife have been accused in a lawsuit of not protecting a young girl who an older child sexually abused during a summer camp trip put together by their church.
In the lawsuit, the victim’s lawyers alleged that Mariano and his wife, Clara Rivera, traveled from New York to Florida to investigate after the girl’s mother expressed concerns for her safety during the 2018 trip. However, when they arrived, the couple “isolated and intimidated” the victim into remaining “silent about her negative experiences,” including the abuse, the lawsuit claims.
More About the Mariano Rivera Allegations
Joseph A. Ruta, an attorney for the Riveras, has denied that they had any knowledge about the child abuse or failed to act after hearing about it. Ruta claims the couple found out about the allegations in 2022 after receiving a letter from an attorney demanding a financial settlement.
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“The Riveras are known throughout New York for their charitable work and especially for their commitment to serving underprivileged children,” Ruta said. “It’s unfortunate they are being targeted by false allegations.”
While the lawsuit doesn’t name the accuser, it says she was born in 2007. This means she would have been 10 or 11 years old in 2018.
What Happened at Mariano Rivera’s Church?
According to the complaint, in the summer of 2018, Clara Rivera persuaded a member of their church to let her daughter attend a camp at the Ignite Life Center, a church in Gainesville, Florida.
While at camp, the girl stayed in an unsupervised dorm room. There, she was repeatedly sexually abused by an older female camper, according to the suit. A police report from 2022 claims the girl said there were 15 instances of inappropriate touching over a two-week period. This happened in her bunk and a shower.
The girl did not report the abuse but her mother grew worried about her safety after a phone call. The mother opened up about her concerns to Clara Rivera, who agreed to investigate, according to the suit.
It further accuses the couple of receiving information that should have given them pause. However they instead chose to keep things quiet to “avoid the potential scandal of child sexual abuse in its programs.”
The Sexual Abuse Did Not Happen Once
The girl would later return to New York and continue her active participation in the church. However later that summer, during a barbecue for congregants at the Riveras’ home in Rye, New York, she was again abused by the same person.
“They failed to mitigate the risks. And upon learning that she had been a victim, took no steps to protect her or get criminal justice,” the attorney who filed the lawsuit, Adam Horowitz, said. “They continued to expose her again to the same risk at her home.”
In 2021, the girl was sexually assaulted again by a male youth leader at Refuge of Hope. The abuse in that case was discovered by the girl’s mother, who found months of electronic communications between the two.
The girl and her mother filed police reports in New York and Florida regarding the abuse in 2018 and 2021. Horowitz does not believe that criminal charges were brought in any of the cases. The lawsuit was also filed against the Refuge of Hope church, not against the Riveras themselves.
This issue comes not long after the church settled lawsuits brought by three people who said they were abused as teenagers by a volunteer at Ignite Life Center. Two others with links to the church have also been charged with lewd and lascivious battery against minors.
Mariano Rivera and Wife Comment on What Happened
As earlier stated, the Riveras, who supported Trump’s bid for presidency, have denied the claims made in the lawsuit filed last week in the New York Supreme Court. Nevertheless the victim has expressed a desire to take the Riveras to court.
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“Parents and churchgoers should be grateful, as I am, that this brave child is coming forward to expose wrongdoers,” the girl’s attorney said. “Reporting sex crimes is always tough, especially when those who conceal them are powerful and popular. We are prepared to litigate this serious matter in Court.”
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