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 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 act, 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 any allegations 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 letter from an attorney requesting a financial settlement.

“The Riveras are known throughout New York for their charitable work and especially for their commitment to serving underprivileged children,” Ruta said. “It’s unfortunate they are being targeted by false allegations.”

The lawsuit doesn’t name the accuser, but it says she was born in 2007, which would have made her 10 or 11 years old in 2018.

That summer, according to the complaint, Clara Rivera persuaded a congregant to allow her daughter to attend a camp at the Ignite Life Center, a church in Gainesville, Fla.

While staying in an unsupervised dorm room, the girl was repeatedly sexually abused by an older female camper, according to the suit. In a police report filed in 2022, the girl said there were 15 instances of inappropriate touching over a two-week period, both in her bunk and a shower.

Mother grew worried about daughter’s safety

Though the girl did not report the abuse, her mother grew worried about her safety after the two spoke on the phone call, the complaint states. The mother then outlined her concerns to Clara Rivera, who agreed to investigate, according to the suit.

During that trip, 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 suit doesn’t specifically state what the Riveras were told by the girl or her mother.

The girl later returned to New York and continued her active participation in the church. But later that summer, during a barbecue for congregants at the Riveras’s home in Rye, N.Y., she was again abused by the same person, the complaint 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 attorney who filed the lawsuit, Adam Horowitz, told The Associated Press by phone. “They continued to expose her again to the same risk at her home.”

In 2021, the girl was again sexually assaulted, this time by a male youth leader at Refuge of Hope, according to the lawsuit. The abuse in that case was discovered by the girl’s mother, who found months of electronic communications between the two, the lawsuit contends.

Afterward, the girl and her mother filed police reports in New York and Florida regarding the abuse in 2018 and 2021. Horowitz said he didn’t believe that criminal charges were brought in any of the cases. The lawsuit was filed against the Refuge of Hope church, not against the Riveras themselves.

Prosecutors in New York and Florida didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about whether they investigated the allegations.

A lawyer for Ignite Life Center did not respond to an inquiry. The church recently settled lawsuits brought by three people — also represented by Horowitz — who said they were abused as teenagers by a volunteer at Ignite Life Center. Two others affiliated with the church have been charged with lewd and lascivious battery against minors.

Ohtani informed Dodgers of Sasaki signing

Shohei Ohtani broke the news to the Los Angeles Dodgers that prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki was joining the team.

Ohtani sent a text to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman even before Sasaki’s agent informed the club.

“It was pure excitement when we found out,” Friedman said Wednesday during Sasaki’s introduction outside Dodger Stadium.

Sasaki signed a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus. The 23-year-old donned a No. 11 jersey with “R. Sasaki” on the back, becoming the 13th Japanese player to join the franchise.

A right-hander whose fastball tops 100 miles per hour, Sasaki announced his intention to sign with the Dodgers on Friday. Sasaki met with eight teams, then cut the field and visited the Dodgers, San Diego and Toronto.

“The Padres and Blue Jays made tremendous pitches, presentations. They left it on the field,” Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe said. “When they left Toronto, I felt like he could easily go to Toronto. When we left San Diego, I felt like he could easily choose San Diego.

“When he came [to L.A.] I really thought the entire process, it was a coin flip. I had no idea what he was going to say when he ultimately said, ‘OK, it’s Dodgers.”‘

Sasaki joined fellow Japanese stars Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the Dodgers in a signing many baseball executives long expected.

“His goal is to be the first Japanese pitcher to win a Cy Young and he definitely possesses the ability to do that,” Friedman said. “The plan is to hit the ground running in spring training.”

Asked why he chose the Dodgers, Sasaki said, “I thought the Dodgers were at the top. The number one thing that stood out was the stability of the front office.”

Sasaki had until Thursday to finalize a contract. He was considered an international amateur under MLB’s rules because he is under 25 and does not have six years service in the Japanese major leagues, making him subject to international signing bonus pools.

The Dodgers are planning to use a six-man rotation, which could ease Sasaki’s transition to MLB, as the Dodgers attempt to become the first repeat champion since the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2000.

He was 10-5 with a 2.35 earned-run average in 18 games last year, striking out 129 hitters in 111 innings during a season limited by shoulder inflammation. Sasaki went 7-4 with a 1.78 ERA in 15 starts in 2023, when he had an oblique injury.

He has a 29-15 career record with a 2.10 ERA over four seasons with the Marines and pitched a perfect game against Orix in April 2022.