A federal judge has ruled that former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema can be sued under North Carolina’s “homewrecker” law for allegedly having an affair with Matthew Ammel, which led to the breakdown of his marriage. The state has jurisdiction in this case, even though Sinema argued she did not have significant connections to North Carolina.
U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon denied Sinema’s motion to dismiss, noting that she was aware Ammel lived in North Carolina with his wife, Heather Ammel, and their three children. Judge Bragdon pointed out that Heather Ammel discovered the affair after finding nine messages Sinema sent to her then-husband while he was in North Carolina. These communications provided sufficient grounds for the lawsuit to proceed.
North Carolina is one of the few states that allows alienation-of-affection claims, enabling spouses to seek damages from a third party they believe caused the end of their marriage.
Heather Ammel is seeking damages from Sinema, claiming the former lawmaker disrupted what she considered a “good and loving marriage” by pursuing her husband. Sinema’s attorneys, Steven Epstein and Abigail Jenkins, have yet to comment on the case.
Judge Bragdon’s ruling highlighted that the messages exchanged between Sinema and Ammel furthered their romantic relationship and invaded Ammel’s marriage, both during trips and when Ammel was at home.
According to Heather Ammel’s lawsuit, her husband began working with Sinema’s security team in 2022 after retiring from the U.S. Army. He soon traveled extensively with Sinema both domestically and internationally. Sinema, who is not married, detailed their relationship in a July deposition, stating that they first had sex around Memorial Day in 2024 during a stay at an Airbnb in Napa, California.
That summer, Ammel stopped wearing his wedding ring and was assigned a role as a national security fellow in Sinema’s Senate office. Despite encounters in New York, Washington, Colorado, and Arizona, Sinema testified that she never met with Ammel in North Carolina.
The Ammels separated in November 2024, and their divorce was finalized in March 2026, according to court records.