A federal judge ruled on Friday that former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) can be sued under North Carolina’s so-called homewrecker law over allegations that she had a romantic relationship with a member of her security detail that contributed to breaking up a marriage.

Sinema has admitted to having the relationship with Matthew Ammel in 2024.

However, her attorneys have argued that she cannot be sued under the homewrecker law because she has no meaningful connection to the state.

The Hill explained further:

U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon denied the former lawmaker’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the security guard’s ex-wife, Heather Ammel.

Sinema sent nine text messages to Matthew Ammel while he was at his North Carolina home, which Bragdon determined gives the state jurisdiction over the case.

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“These messages, considered together, show Ms. Sinema building and furthering a romantic relationship with Mr. Ammel—invading the marriage not just while he was away on trips with her but while he was home with his family in North Carolina,” the judge wrote in his order.

North Carolina is one of the select states where people can sue for “alienation of affection,” which allows spouses to seek damages from the person responsible for breaking up their marriage.

Heather Ammel sued the former senator at the end of last year, seeking at least $75,000 from Sinema.

The former Sinema security guard’s ex-wife alleged she had “a good and loving marriage” prior to the former lawmaker’s interference.

Heather Ammel said in her lawsuit that her husband joined Sinema’s security detail in 2022 after retiring from the U.S. Army.

Reports stated that he traveled with Sinema domestically and internationally.

According to Fox News, Sinema said in a deposition that she and Matthew Ammel first had sex 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,” she said in the deposition, according to the outlet.

Fox News has more:

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.

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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.

 

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