A teenage girl is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages after asserting that she was sexually assaulted several times during events tied to a church where Clara Rivera, the wife of New York Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, serves as the senior pastor.

Additionally, the complaint states that one of the assaults happened at a church event at the Riveras’ primary home in Rye, New York.

The lawsuit, filed in Westchester County Court, has named Refugio de Esperanza, a New Rochelle-based church, and 1 Brook View Rye, LLC, as defendants. Although the Riveras are not directly named in the suit, the address associated with 1 Brook View Rye corresponds to their primary residence, and the church’s website notes that the church began in the Rivera home back in 2009.

The lawsuit claims that the church failed to safeguard the plaintiff—who has requested anonymity—from expected harm and did not take necessary action. It also alleges that the Riveras “isolated and intimidated” the plaintiff to discourage her from speaking out about an alleged assault.

In a statement to YSL News Sports, the Riveras’ attorney, Joseph A. Ruta, described the allegations as “entirely unfounded.”

“Mariano and Clara Rivera absolutely do not support child abuse in any form, and the claims that they were aware of or did not react to reports of child abuse are simply untrue,” Ruta commented. He mentioned that the couple first learned about the accusations nearly four years after the alleged incidents when they received a letter from an attorney asking for a financial settlement.

“This lawsuit, which pursues financial compensation for the Riveras’ supposed failure to act on incidents that were never reported to them, is filled with incorrect and misleading statements that we are confident will not succeed in a courtroom,” Ruta asserted.

The lawsuit was filed on January 16 and reported by YSL News Sports, allowing the defendants 20 days to respond. The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial to establish a monetary amount for damages. The associated LLC, and not the Riveras, is a defendant largely because New York law holds property owners responsible for incidents occurring on their premises.

The initial report was given by Gainesville Public Information Services.

Within the lawsuit, it claims that Clara Rivera suggested the plaintiff, identified as Jane A. Doe, undertake a summer intern position in 2018 at a Gainesville, Florida church linked to Refugio de Esperanza, with expenses covered by the church.

The complaint points out that interns—of which the plaintiff was around 11 years old—were made to stay at Gainesville’s Ignite Life Church without parental supervision throughout the internship. The plaintiff reports that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by an older teenage girl during this time.

According to the suit, the interns had limited contact with their parents, and during one call, the alleged victim’s mother expressed concern about her daughter’s safety.

“In response, Ms. Rivera assured MOTHER A DOE that she would look into MOTHER A DOE’s concerns and address them appropriately,” the suit claims. “Ms. Rivera and her husband, Mariano Rivera, then traveled from New York to Florida to see JANE A DOE at the Ignite Life Summer Internship. During that visit, the Riveras, acting as representatives for the DEFENDANTS, learned or should have learned information indicating that JANE A DOE was being sexually abused by (the older camper).

“Instead of taking sufficient measures to halt the sexual abuse of JANE A DOE, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated JANE A DOE to keep quiet about her abuse … to avoid causing issues for REFUGIO and the Ignite Life Summer Internship. To prevent the possible scandal of child sexual abuse within their programs and to protect the DEFENDANTS above all, the Riveras, in their roles 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 having actual or constructive knowledge that JANE A DOE was still exposed to further sexual abuse.”

Three men have faced accusations and two have been convicted of sexual offenses at Ignite Life Center, including Gabriel Giovani Hemenez, who, at 29, pleaded no contest to two counts of lewd acts with a minor—a summer intern—ranging from ages 12 to 16; he was sentenced to five years in prison and eight years on probation. Another individual pleaded no contest to aggravated assault and received three years of probation.

The plaintiff and her family had been long-time members of Refugio de Esperanza, and after the incidents, they resumed attending services at the church upon their return to New York.

Later that summer, as per the suit, the church organized a barbecue at the Riveras’ residence in Rye, New York, for underage church members. It claims that “Parents, including, but not limited to MOTHER A DOE,” were not invited to the event.

The complaint alleges that the plaintiff was left alone with and was sexually assaulted again by the same teenage member of the church.

“At all relevant times,” the lawsuit claims, “DEFENDANTS had a superior awareness of the risk of harm that JANE A DOE would face being sexually abused while under their guardianship and failed to inform JANE A DOE and/or her parents of that risk.

On the contrary, DEFENDANTS misrepresented to JANE A DOE and her parents that she was safe and well-cared for while in the presence of DEFENDANTS.”

About a month later, in August 2021, the suit alleges the plaintiff was sexually abused by an adult youth leader at the church, who allegedly displayed grooming behaviors indicative of a potential for sexual abuse while both were attending church events and/or at Refugio’s facilities.

The allegations, according to the suit, would qualify as sexual offenses under New York law.

The essence of the plaintiff’s complaints is similar in both instances: that Refugio, “through its agents, managers, employees, and directors, knew, or should have known through reasonable care, that (the employee) had a tendency to engage in sexual misconduct with children he interacted with due to his leadership role in REFUGIO prior to 2021, yet they took no action to protect the minor JANE A DOE from him.”

Rivera, 55, is historically the only player in Major League Baseball to be elected unanimously to the Hall of Fame and holds the record for all-time saves. He was the closer for the Yankees during five World Series championship wins, having played from 1995 until his retirement in 2013 amidst significant acclaim.

The plaintiff, now 17 years old, and her family moved to Georgia in 2022.

“I applaud our young client for her bravery and dedication to seeking the truth,” said Adam Horowitz, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, in a statement. “We are grateful for her efforts in raising awareness about a potentially hazardous environment for children. Our lawsuit asserts that Mariano and Clara Rivera failed in their responsibility to protect our client and let her suffer the impacts of child sexual abuse.”

The Riveras’ attorney remarked: “The Riveras are well-regarded throughout New York for their charitable activities and their dedication to assisting underprivileged children. It’s disappointing that they are being targeted by unfounded claims.”

Contributing: Tom Schad