Judge Rules Ex-Senator Kyrsten Sinema Can Be Sued Under North Carolina's 'Homewrecker' Law
A federal judge says nine flirty text messages give North Carolina jurisdiction over Kyrsten Sinema in a bodyguard's-wife lawsuit accusing the former senator of breaking up her marriage.
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Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema can be sued in North Carolina over her relationship with a member of her security detail, a federal judge ruled Friday, clearing the way for a rare "alienation of affection" lawsuit to move forward.
U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon rejected Sinema's argument that she couldn't be sued in North Carolina at all, finding that nine text messages she sent to security team member Matthew Ammel while he was in the state made it implausible she didn't know his whereabouts, according to reporting on the ruling. North Carolina is one of a small number of states that still allow a jilted spouse to sue a third party for financial damages over the breakup of a marriage.
Bodyguard, Then More
The suit was filed by Heather Ammel, Matthew Ammel's ex-wife, who alleges Sinema pursued her husband despite knowing he was married. Matthew Ammel joined Sinema's security detail after retiring from the Army in 2022 and later took a position as a national security fellow in her Senate office while continuing to serve on her security team, accompanying her on both domestic and foreign travel.
According to the timeline laid out in court filings, Heather Ammel discovered romantic messages her husband had exchanged with Sinema over the Signal messaging app in early 2024. The relationship reportedly became sexual that May in Napa, California. Matthew and Heather separated on November 1, 2024.
ALIENATION OF AFFECTION
Sinema, who represented Arizona in the Senate as an independent after leaving the Democratic Party, did not seek re-election in 2024 and left office in January 2025. The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages from her. Sinema's attorney, Steven Epstein, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling, and no trial date has been set as the case moves toward discovery.
North Carolina's alienation-of-affection law has produced multimillion-dollar jury verdicts in the past, though most such cases settle before trial. Whether this one follows that pattern, or becomes a rare courtroom showdown involving a former U.S. senator, will likely play out over the coming months as both sides begin building their cases.