New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his spouse are accused in a lawsuit of failing to guard a younger lady who was sexually abused by an older baby throughout a summer time camp journey sponsored by their church.
In a lawsuit filed this month, legal professionals for the lady allege that the Corridor of Fame pitcher and his spouse Clara Rivera, a pastor on the Refuge of Hope Church, flew from New York to Florida to analyze after the lady’s mom expressed issues about her daughter’s security in the course of the 2018 journey.
However moderately than take motion, the couple “isolated and intimidated” the sufferer into remaining “silent about her adverse experiences,” together with the abuse, the lawsuit says.
Joseph A. Ruta, an lawyer for the Riveras, mentioned in an announcement that any allegations that they “knew about or failed to act on reports of child abuse are completely false.” He mentioned the couple solely realized of the allegations in 2022 after receiving a letter from an lawyer requesting a monetary settlement.
“The Riveras are known throughout New York for their charitable work and especially for their commitment to serving underprivileged children,” Ruta mentioned. “It’s unfortunate they are being targeted by false allegations.”
The lawsuit would not title the accuser, nevertheless it says she was born in 2007, which might have made her 10 or 11 years outdated in 2018.
That summer time, in line with the criticism, Clara Rivera persuaded a congregant to permit her daughter to attend a camp on the Ignite Life Heart, a church in Gainesville, Florida.
Whereas staying in an unsupervised dorm room, the lady was repeatedly sexually abused by an older feminine camper, in line with the swimsuit. In a police report filed in 2022, the lady mentioned there have been 15 situations of inappropriate touching over a two-week interval, each in her bunk and a bathe.
Although the lady didn’t report the abuse, her mom grew apprehensive about her security after the 2 spoke on the cellphone name, the criticism states. The mom then outlined her issues to Clara Rivera, who agreed to analyze, in line with the swimsuit.
Throughout that journey, the couple “received information that should have given them concern,” the lawsuit says, but chose instead to remain silent to “avoid the potential scandal of child sexual abuse in its programs.” The swimsuit would not particularly state what the Riveras had been instructed by the lady or her mom.
The lady later returned to New York and continued her lively participation within the church. However later that summer time, throughout a barbecue for congregants on the Riveras’ residence in Rye, New York, she was once more abused by the identical individual, the criticism states.
“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 lawyer who filed the lawsuit, Adam Horowitz, instructed The Related Press by cellphone. “They continued to expose her again to the same risk at her home.”
In 2021, the lady was once more sexually assaulted, this time by a male youth chief at Refuge of Hope, in line with the lawsuit. The abuse in that case was found by the lady’s mom, who discovered months of digital communications between the 2, the lawsuit contends.
Afterward, the lady and her mom filed police studies in New York and Florida concerning the abuse in 2018 and 2021. Horowitz mentioned he did not imagine that prison expenses had been introduced in any of the instances. The lawsuit was filed towards the Refuge of Hope church, not towards the Riveras themselves.
Prosecutors in New York and Florida did not instantly reply to requests for remark about whether or not they appeared into the allegations.
A lawyer for Ignite Life Heart didn’t reply to an inquiry. The church lately settled lawsuits introduced by three individuals — additionally represented by Horowitz — who mentioned they had been abused as youngsters by a volunteer at Ignite Life Heart. Two others affiliated with the church have been charged with lewd and lascivious battery towards minors.
Author : newyork-news
Publish date : 2025-01-23 23:48:41
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.