A federal judge in North Carolina has ruled that former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema can be sued under the states homewrecker law over an alleged affair with her ex-bodyguard, rejecting her attempt to avoid accountability in a state that still protects the sanctity of marriage through alienation-of-affection claims.
According to the Gateway Pundit, U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon denied Sinemas motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Heather Ammel, the ex-wife of Sinemas former bodyguard, finding that Sinemas claimed lack of ties to North Carolina was not persuasive. The judge highlighted nine text messages Sinema sent to bodyguard Matthew Ammel while he was in North Carolina, concluding it was implausible that she did not know his location when she sent them.
In his order, Bragdon went further, writing that Sinemas testimony on several key issues has not been credible. Sinema had argued that because the affair never occurred in North Carolina, she could not be sued there, but the judge rejected that position and allowed the case to proceed.
The lawsuit, originally filed by Heather Ammel in Moore County Superior Court in January, invokes North Carolinas long-standing alienation-of-affection statute, one of the few such laws still on the books nationwide. Under this civil claim, a spouse may seek damages from a third party accused of having destroyed the love and affection in a marriage, a legal protection that aligns with traditional views of marriage and personal responsibility.
Ammel, who lived with her husband and their three children in Whispering Pines for a decade, contends they enjoyed a good and loving marriage with genuine love and affection until Sinema intervened. She alleges that Sinema actively pursued her husband while he was assigned to Sinemas security detail, a relationship that ultimately coincided with the collapse of the marriage.
Sinema has admitted to having a sexual relationship with Matthew Ammel, acknowledging in a July deposition that she knew he was married and that romantic text messages had been exchanged for months. She testified that the relationship became sexual on May 27, 2024, at an Airbnb in Napa, California, stating, We were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California, and, We were outside. Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex.
She further described later encounters in New York around CNN host Jessica Deans wedding, as well as in Washington, Colorado, and Arizona, while insisting they never had sex in North Carolina. In an August testimony, Sinema attempted to soften the portrayal of her conduct, saying she is not like that and that sex occurred only when the opportunity presented itself, and when Mr. Ammel approached me.
Sinema, who once represented Arizona in the House and then the Senate before leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent, chose not to seek reelection in 2024 and has since transitioned into the influence industry. The former lawmaker now works as a lobbyist with Hogan Lovells Cadwalader and has been described in court filings as also teaching at Arizona State University, underscoring the revolving door between elected office and lobbying that many conservatives have long criticized.
Her relationship with Ammel began after he joined her security team in 2022, following his retirement from the military, and the lawsuit alleges she later helped arrange work for him as a national security fellow while their relationship deepened. Sinemas attorney, Steven Epstein, did not immediately comment after Fridays ruling, leaving unanswered how Sinema intends to defend herself against a case that not only raises moral questions but also tests whether powerful political figures can be held to the same marital and ethical standards as ordinary Americans under President Trumps renewed emphasis on law, order, and traditional values.
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