Mariano Rivera and wife Clara during a ceremony in his honor before a game at Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2019 in New York City. Photo:
Jim McIsaac/Getty
Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara Rivera, are embroiled in legal turmoil.
In a lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court on Thursday, Jan. 16, and obtained by PEOPLE, the retired New York Yankees player and his wife are accused of covering up child sex abuse at a Christian summer camp affiliated with their church and in their own home.
The former Yankees player and Clara wed in 1991 and have since welcomed three children: Mariano Rivera III, Jaziel Rivera and Jafet Rivera. Since retiring from baseball, Mariano has focused his energy on pursuits in philanthropy, politics and religion.
In 2014, Mariano bought an old church in New Rochelle, N.Y., which he made the home of his Refuge of Hope church. Clara started serving as the head pastor of the institution after it opened.
Now, the church is at the center of the lawsuit filed by a young girl born in 2007, identified as Jane Doe in the complaint, alleging that the Riveras covered up a sexual abuse she experienced at a 2018 summer camp affiliated with Refuge of Hope.
The Riveras’ lawyer, Joseph A. Ruta, called the allegations “completely false” in a statement to USA Today Sports.
So who is Mariano Rivera’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Clara Rivera and her relationship with the former baseball player.
Mariano Rivera speaks to the crowd as he stands with his wife Clara next to his Hall of Fame plaque during a ceremony in his honor before a game between the Yankees and the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2019 in New York City. Jim McIsaac/Getty
Mariano grew up in Puerto Caimito, Panama, where he met Clara when they were both students at the same elementary school, he told The New York Times in June 2010.
Referring to Clara as his “anchor,” the retired baseball star added that Clara has been his closest companion as they grew up together — and she was the only person he let see him suffer.
Mariano Rivera and wife Clara pose for a photo together in November 2022. Mariano Rivera/ Instagram
Clara and Mariano married on Nov. 9, 1991. To celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2021, Mariano posted a tribute to his wife on Instagram, writing that being by her side for three decades has “been a dream.”
“Your love for God, for me, and for our family wins me over every day,” he wrote in the caption. “A million ‘I love you’s’ could never express what you truly mean to me. Here’s to a life time together.”
Mariano Rivera, wife Clara, sons Mariano Jr, Jafet, and Jaziel pose before the game on September 29, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. Jared Wickerham/Getty
The couple welcomed three sons together: Mariano Rivera III, Jaziel Rivera and Jafet Rivera. In May 2021, Jaziel graduated high school, with Mariano announcing on Instagram that his son was next set to attend Manhattan University where he had signed to play lacrosse.
In September 2020, Mariano and Clara became grandparents with the birth of Mariano III’s daughter, Leilani Marie Rivera. In 2022, he welcomed his second daughter, Mia.
“Of all the accolades and titles I’ve been given throughout my life, none compare to “Abuelo” aka Grandpa!” Mariano wrote on Instagram in January 2022.
In 2019, Mariano was named in a lawsuit that alleged he fathered two children, aged 11 and 15 at the time of filing, out of wedlock for whom he stopped paying child support.
Mariano denied the allegations, per ESPN, and the two sides ultimately settled.
Clara Rivera and Mariano Rivera attend an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on February 2, 2012 in New York City. James Devaney/WireImage
In 2009, Mariano and Clara opened their own church, Refuge of Hope, that they ran from their home. Five years later, the couple decided to expand and bought an old church building in Westchester, N.Y., where Clara now serves as head pastor.
According to her bio on the organization’s website, Clara grew up religious, but it wasn’t until she was 25 that she had a “personal encounter with God.”
“Her passion is to motivate each member of the congregation to love, serve those in need, giving not only of financial resources but also sharing the message of hope by investing their time and talent to uplift their community,” her bio reads.
On Jan. 16, a lawsuit was filed against the couple alleging that they covered up child sexual abuse that took place at the Ignite Life Center in Gainesville, Fla., during a 2018 summer internship program affiliated with Refuge of Hope.
The minor, who was born in 2007, was referred to as Jane Doe and named “MG,” an older female minor as the alleged abuser.
“Rather than take sufficient action to end the sexual abuse of Jane Doe, the Riveras each separately isolated and intimidated Jane Doe to remain silent about her abuse by MG to avoid causing trouble for Refuge of Hope and the Ignite Life Summer Internship,” court documents read.
The lawsuit also identified another alleged abuse incident that occurred at a summer 2018 BBQ at the Riveras’ Brook View home, per the complaint.
“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 couple’s lawyer, Joseph A. Ruta, said in the statement to USA Today Sports.
