Judge allows 'homewrecker' lawsuit against former Sen Kyrsten Sinema to move forward

North Carolina Judge Grants Damages Claim Against Former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema in “Homewrecker” Case

A federal judge in North Carolina has denied former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema’s request to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that she “homewrecker” a marriage by having an affair with a married man. The case, which is based on the state’s rare alienation‑of‑affection law, moves forward after U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon ruled that Sinema’s conduct and the messages exchanged with her former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, satisfy the criteria for a civil claim in the state.

The Allegations

Heather Ammel, the wife of former Senate security guard Matthew Ammel, has sued Sinema for damages. In her complaint, Ammel argues that Sinema’s affair with her husband – who was serving on her security detail after retiring from the U.S. Army in 2022 – disrupted what Ammel described as a “good and loving marriage.” The suit claims the affair began in 2024 and that Sinema’s involvement was the proximate cause of the marriage’s breakdown.

Under North Carolina law, a spouse may recover damages from a third party who “further or incite an affair” that causes a marriage to dissolve. The law is one of only a handful in the country still in effect, and the Ammel case is the latest to bring the statute into the courtroom.

The Court’s Decision

Judge Bragdon, hearing the case in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, rejected Sinema’s motion to dismiss. The judge noted that the evidence shows:

• Sinema was aware that Ammel and his wife, Heather, lived in North Carolina with their three children.
• Ammel’s wife discovered the affair in early 2024 after reading nine text messages from Sinema to her husband while he was in North Carolina.
• The content of those messages indicated a continuing romantic relationship between Sinema and Ammel, even though the two did not travel together to North Carolina.

Bragdon wrote that the messages “were enough for Heather Ammel’s lawsuit to move forward in the state,” and that Sinema’s conduct constituted “furthering” a relationship that invaded Ammel’s marriage.

The judge’s ruling leaves the case on the merits, allowing the Ammel family to pursue damages through the North Carolina court system.

Facts from the Affair

The affair, according to court filings and a deposition taken July 31 in a Raleigh law office, began around Memorial Day 2024. In that deposition, Sinema said:

“We were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California. We were outside. Matt kissed me. We went inside and had sex.”

The deposition also revealed that Sinema and Ammel had sexual encounters in several locations outside North Carolina, including New York, Washington, Colorado, and Arizona, but she denied ever meeting him in North Carolina.

Ammel had joined Sinema’s Senate security team in 2022, following his Army retirement. During the summer of 2024, according to the Ammel lawsuit, he stopped wearing his wedding ring and accepted a position as a national security fellow in Sinema’s Senate office.

Timeline

Legal Representation

Sinema’s legal team, consisting of Steven Epstein and Abigail Jenkins, did not issue a comment on the judge’s ruling.

The Broader Context

North Carolina’s alienation‑of‑affection statute remains one of the few states that permits spouses to sue third parties for damages resulting from marital infidelity. Critics argue that the law is archaic and undermines privacy, while proponents see it as a legitimate remedy for spouses who have been harmed by a third party’s interference. The Ammel‑Sinema case will be closely watched by both sides of the debate as it proceeds through the North Carolina court system.