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Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema can be sued under North Carolina’s so-called “homewrecker” law after a federal judge ruled the state has jurisdiction over allegations she helped break up a marriage by having an affair with a woman’s then-husband.
Sinema acknowledged having a sexual relationship with Matthew Ammel, who was a member of her security detail while she was a senator, but said she could not be sued in North Carolina because she lacks a meaningful connection to the state.
U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon rejected that argument and denied Sinema’s motion to dismiss the case, saying she knew Ammel lived in the state with his wife, Heather Ammel, and their three children.
Bragdon also pointed out that Heather Ammel discovered the affair in early 2024 after reading nine messages Sinema sent to her then-husband while he was in North Carolina. He found that those communications were enough for Heather Ammel’s lawsuit to move forward in the state.
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. speaks at a news conference at the Capitol building on Nov. 29, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In her civil complaint, Heather Ammel is seeking damages from Sinema, claiming the ex-lawmaker interfered with what she described as a “good and loving marriage” by pursuing her then-husband.
North Carolina is among the few states that recognize alienation-of-affection claims, allowing spouses to seek damages from a third party they believe caused the breakdown of their marriage.
Sinema’s lawyers, Steven Epstein and Abigail Jenkins, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his ruling, the judge found that the messages between the two affair partners showed Sinema was “furthering a romantic relationship” with Ammel and “invading” his marriage both while she went on trips with him and when he was home.
Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., speaks to reporters in the Ohio Clock Corridor in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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According to Heather Ammel’s lawsuit, her husband joined Sinema’s security team in 2022 after retiring from the U.S. Army. He then began traveling with her domestically and internationally.
Sinema, who is unmarried, said in a July 31 deposition that she first had sex with Ammel around Memorial Day 2024.
“We were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California. We were outside. Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex,” Sinema said in her deposition, which took place at a law office in Raleigh.
Undated file photo of a vineyard in Napa Valley and oak trees in California, United States of America. (Philippe Widling/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group)
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That summer, Ammel stopped wearing his wedding ring and was given a job as a national security fellow in Sinema’s Senate office, according to Heather Ammel’s lawsuit.
Sinema, who represented Arizona in the U.S. House and later in the Senate, said in her deposition she had sexual encounters with Ammel in New York, Washington, Colorado and Arizona, but never North Carolina.
The Ammels separated on Nov. 1, 2024, and their divorce was finalized in March 2026, according to court records.
