Honk News (New York City, NY) – A recent legal action in New York claims that Mariano Rivera and his spouse, Clara, failed to address the sexual abuse of a minor that took place at their residence and a church.
A legendary figure from the New York Yankees now serves as the pastor at Refuge of Hope Church in New Rochelle, located about 15 miles from his former playing grounds.
Nonetheless, “Jane Doe” claims that she experienced sexual abuse at the hands of an older girl referred to as “MG” while participating in a summer internship back in 2018. At the time of the reported events, MG was underage.
The internship occurred at the Ignite Life Center located in Gainesville, Florida, connected to Rivera’s church.
The lawsuit alleges that the victim’s mother notified Clara about the abuse, and Clara assured her that she would look into the situation. However, they reportedly concealed it.
“Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe to remain silent about her abuse by MG to avoid causing trouble for Refuge of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship,” the suit reads.
The complaint further claims that MG mistreated the victim at the Rivera home during a summer barbecue.
“At all times relevant, [the Riveras] knew or should have known that MG was a risk to sexually abuse children… before and during the time of the barbecue,” the suit reads.
“In order to avoid the potential scandal of child sexual abuse in its programs and otherwise protect [themselves] above all else, the Riveras… assured [Doe’s mother] that [Doe] was safe and in no danger at Ignite Life Center, despite actual or constructive knowledge that Doe remained vulnerable to additional acts of sexual abuse by MG.”
In January 2019, Rivera achieved a historic milestone as the first and only player to receive a unanimous election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Later that year, the President honored him with the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom during his initial term in office.
Rivera, recognized as the most exceptional closer ever in baseball, holds the record for the highest number of saves in the sport’s history with 652. His 2.21 ERA stands as the lowest recorded by any pitcher who has thrown at least 500 innings since the live-ball era commenced in 1920.