The lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court in Westchester County on Thursday, Jan. 16, alleges that a child referred to as "Jane A Doe" because of her young age was sexually abused by two people affiliated with New Rochelle-based Refuge of Hope Church.
The church began as a small ministry in Rivera's home and his wife, Clara, still works as its Senior Pastor.
In a statement shared with the NY Post, the couple's attorney Joseph A. Ruta said: “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.”
Daily Voice has reached out to Ruta for comment.
According to the lawsuit complaint, the victim, a minor, was sexually abused by an older girl from the church for several months in the summer of 2018 while attending a summer camp at the Refuge of Hope-affiliated Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Florida. This trip was allegedly recommended to the victim's mother by Clara Rivera, the lawsuit says.
While at the program, the victim resided at the Life Center without parental supervision and was assigned to a dorm with other children, including an older camper referred to as "MG." This older camper repeatedly sexually abused the victim throughout the camp in the dorm and shower, allegedly "fondling and penetrating" her breasts, buttocks, and genitals against her will, according to the lawsuit complaint.
The victim's mother eventually became concerned after a phone call with her and told Clara Rivera of these concerns. In response, Rivera said she would investigate. Both Mariano and Clara Rivera then traveled from New York to Florida to see the victim and "received information that should have given them concern," that she was being sexually abused, the lawsuit says.
However, instead of taking action, the Riveras "each separately isolated and intimidated" the victim into remaining silent about the abuse to "avoid causing trouble" for the Refuge of Hope Church and summer camp, the lawsuit continues.
Later that same summer, the church held a barbecue for children at a Rye property owned by the Riveras. There, they invited "MG" and left her unsupervised with the victim despite knowing the risk of harm she posed to her. The victim was once again sexually abused by "MG" at the barbeque, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit also states that the victim was sexually abused by church leader Ruben Tavarez in late 2021 into 2022 and that even when the victim moved out of state, he continued sending her graphic electronic communications.
The victim's mother eventually confronted Tavarez after finding these communications and he then admitted his misconduct, the lawsuit states.
Adam Horowitz of Horowitz Law, who is representing the victim, commended her "bravery and commitment to truth."
"We thank her for sounding the alarm on a potentially dangerous environment for kids. 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," Horowitz continued.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, citing severe emotional and psychological harm caused by the alleged abuse and the church’s inaction.
Mariano Rivera, a Hall of Fame pitcher known as "Sandman," played for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, his first year of eligibility. He is a five-time World Series champion.
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