Lawsuit says ex-Yankee Mariano Rivera failed to protect a girl from sexual abuse at a church camp

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera and his wife are accused in a lawsuit of failing to protect a young girl who was sexually abused by an older child during a summer camp trip sponsored by their church.

In a lawsuit filed this month, lawyers for the girl allege that the Hall of Fame pitcher and his wife Clara Rivera, a pastor at the Refuge of Hope Church, flew from New York to Florida to investigate after the girl’s mother expressed concerns about her daughter’s safety during the 2018 trip.

But rather than take action, the couple “isolated and intimidated” the victim into remaining “silent about her negative experiences,” including the abuse, the lawsuit says.

Joseph A. Ruta, an attorney for the Riveras, said in a statement that any allegations that they “knew about or failed to act on reports of child abuse are completely false.” He said the couple only learned of the allegations in 2022 after receiving a…