Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera, wife added as defendants in revised sexual abuse lawsuit, documents show
Mariano Rivera, who spent his entire storied MLB career with the New York Yankees, has been added as a defendant in a lawsuit. Rivera's wife, Clara Rivera, was also listed as a defendant in an amended sexual abuse suit filed by an unnamed girl and her mother.
USA Today Sports obtained a copy of the new complaint after it was filed in Westchester County Court April 25.
The original lawsuit, filed in January, alleged the young girl was victimized by an older individual during events linked to the church the Riveras co-founded.
The church is located in Westchester County, New York, and Clara was listed as a senior pastor.
The Riveras were not named defendants in the initial filing. Instead, the church, Refuge of Hope, and Brook View Rye, LLC were listed as defendants. The limited liability company lists the address of the Riveras' former home, which they sold in 2022.
In the previous filing, the Riveras were accused of taking inadequate measures to protect the girl listed as Jane Doe in the complaint. The complaint alleges an assault occurred in "approximately summer 2018" at a New York home the Riveras' owned at the time.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse happened at a barbecue that children who attended the church were invited to. However, the attending children's parents did not receive invitations, according to the suit.
The amended suit's details were consistent with the initial filing. In both filings, the Riveras allegedly disregarded the girl's claims of sexual abuse and "isolated and intimidated" her in an effort to ensure she remained quiet about the alleged incident.
"Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of JANE A DOE, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated JANE A DOE to remain silent about her abuse to avoid causing trouble for REFUGIO and the Ignite Life Summer Internship," the lawsuit states.
"In order to avoid the potential scandal of child sexual abuse in its programs and otherwise protect DEFENDANTS above all else, the Riveras, in their capacities as agents and/or employees of DEFENDANTS, assured MOTHER A DOE that JANE A DOE was safe and in no danger at Ignite Life Center, despite actual or constructive knowledge that JANE A DOE remained vulnerable to additional acts of sexual abuse."
Joseph A. Ruta, an attorney representing the Riveras, said the allegations against his clients are "completely false."
The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial and compensatory and punitive damages.
Rivera, 55, is a five-time World Series champion and a 13-time MLB All-Star. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
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