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.
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wander Franco charged with gun possession as Rays shortstop stands trial in sexual-abuse case
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was charged with illegal possession of a firearm Sunday as he continues to stand trial on charges of sexual abuse, according to multiple reports. The gun possession charge stems from a November altercation that resulted in Franco's arrest. The 24-year-old Franco was arrested after an altercation with another man. Two guns were seized by police following that altercation, one of which was found in Franco's vehicle. Advertisement That gun — a semiautomatic Glock 19 — is reportedly registered in Franco's uncle's name. Franco's lawyer, Antonio Garcia Lorenzo, argued that since the gun is licensed, "there's nothing illegal about it," per reports. Franco is currently on trial in the Dominican Republic on charges of sexual and commercial exploitation of a minor. Franco is accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. Franco allegedly paid the girl's mother thousands of dollars to engage in the relationship. The girl's mother was also charged with sexual abuse of a minor and money laundering. Once considered the top overall prospect in the minor leagues, Franco was in the midst of a breakout season when allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a minor emerged during the 2023 MLB season. Franco was placed on the restricted list by the Rays that August as MLB investigated the situation. Shorty after that story broke, MLB placed Franco on administrative leave under the league's joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He has not appeared in an MLB game since Aug. 2023. MLB's investigation into Franco remains ongoing as he stands trial in the Dominican Republic. Franco — who signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in 2021 — faces up to 30 years in prison if he's convicted.
New York Times
21 hours ago
- New York Times
Rays shortstop Wander Franco charged with gun possession amid sexual abuse trial: Reports
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, currently on trial in the Dominican Republic on charges including sexual abuse of a minor, was charged Sunday with illegal possession of a gun, according to multiple reports. The latest charge comes after Franco was arrested Nov. 10 following an altercation that broke out in a San Juan de la Maguana parking lot. According to reports, a semiautomatic Glock 19 was found in Franco's vehicle. The gun was registered under Franco's uncle's name, and Antonio Garcia Lorenzo, one of Franco's lawyers, said that the gun was licensed. 'There's nothing illegal about it,' Lorenzo said. Prosecutors requested that Franco stand trial on the gun charge. Advertisement The 24-year-old was formally charged in July by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic with sexual and commercial exploitation of a minor. His trial is ongoing. According to prosecutors, testimony from the girl, who was 14 at the time of the complaint, and testimony from other members of her family, Franco paid the girl's mother thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts in exchange for the mother allowing him to engage in the alleged abuse of her daughter. MLB has opened an investigation into the allegations against Franco, and it remains ongoing. The Rays signed Franco to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021. He hasn't played since the allegations emerged in August 2023.
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
On trial for sexual abuse, Rays' Wander Franco also facing gun charge
On trial for sexual abuse, Rays' Wander Franco also facing gun charge Show Caption Hide Caption Ex-MLB player Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who is on the MLB's restricted list, has been arrested again in the Dominican Republic. unbranded - Sport Legal problems for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco continue to mount. Already on trial for alleged sexual abuse of a minor, the former American League All-Star was charged Sunday with illegal possession of a firearm, police said. Franco, 24, was arrested in November following an altercation in a parking lot in San Juan de la Maguana, about 115 miles northwest of Santo Domingo. During the arrest, police found a semiautomatic Glock 19 in his vehicle, according to a statement from the Dominican Public Prosecutor's Office obtained by the Associated Press. Prosecutors said the handgun was registered to Franco's uncle and requested Franco stand trial on the gun charge. In response, Franco's attorney said that since the gun was licensed, "there's nothing illegal about it." Franco is currently on MLB's restricted list as his trial on sex abuse charges continues. The 2023 AL All-Star – who signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in 2021 – has not played since August 2023, when he was first accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a then 14-year-old girl in the Dominican Republic. He was placed on the restricted list after he was ordered to stand trial in the Dominican Republic on charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation of a minor and human trafficking. Franco faces up to 20 years in prison on those charges and also remains under MLB investigation for violations of its joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.
