MLB star Mariano Rivera and his wife Clara have been accused of covering up the alleged sexual assault of a then 10-year-old girl.

The now-teenager is reportedly seeking punitive and compensatory damages after she claimed she was sexually assaulted while attending events connected to the married couple's church where the Panamanian baseball pitcher is the senior pastor, per USA Today.

The complaint indicates that the assault happened while she was in attendance at the MLB star's church, as he and his wife "isolated and intimidated" the girl to remain silent about her abuse to save face for their church, Refuge of Hope.

In addition to the alleged assault at church, another alleged incident took place when a church event was held at the couple's home, located in Rye, New York.

According to the media outlet, the suit claims the church failed to protect the alleged victim from harm, and didn't move to take corrective action on the matter. The plaintiff has opted to remain anonymous.

The couple has since responded to the legal filing, as Rivera's lawyer Joseph A. Ruta maintained that the couple didn't hear of the allegations until four years later, slamming the claims as "completely false."

"Mariano and Clara Rivera do not tolerate child abuse of any kind and allegations that they knew about or failed to act on reports of child abuse are completely false," the statement read per USA Today.

"The very first time they heard about these allegations was nearly four years after the alleged incident, when in 2022 a New York attorney sent a letter requesting a financial settlement. This was followed by a second letter in 2023, from a different Florida law firm, again requesting a financial settlement.

"The lawsuit, which seeks financial damages for the Riveras' alleged failure to act on alleged incidents that were never reported to them, is full of inaccurate and misleading statements which we have no doubt will not hold up in a court of law," Ruta added.

The complaint alleged that the plaintiff was around 11 years old at the time when she was required to stay at Gainesville's Ignite Life Church, without the supervision of a parent throughout her role as an intern.

It was at this time that the plaintiff alleged she was sexually assaulted by another much older teen girl, who was also a minor during the time of the alleged assault.

2021 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Although the campers had little contact with their parents, one particular phone call prompted the victim's mother to grow concerned about her child's welfare.

"Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of JANE A DOE, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimated JANE A DOE to remain silent about her abuse ... to avoid causing trouble for REFUGIO and the Ignite Life Summer Internship," the legal filing continued, per the media outlet.

"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."

The suit also claims that parents were not invited to previous church events and that defendants knew about the "risk of harm" to children, in addition to three male attendees who were previously convicted of sex crimes.

The plaintiff, now 17 years old, and her family have since relocated to the state of Georgia dating back to 2022.

Tags
Lawsuit, Sexual assault