A federal judge has ruled that former United States Senator Kyrsten Sinema must face a civil lawsuit in North Carolina under the state’s alienation of affection statute, rejecting her argument that she lacks sufficient connection to the jurisdiction.
U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon denied Sinema’s motion to dismiss the case brought by Heather Ammel, who alleges the former Arizona senator engaged in an affair with her then-husband, Matthew Ammel, thereby interfering with their marriage. The judge found that North Carolina courts have proper jurisdiction to hear the matter.
Sinema, who served as a Democratic and later Independent senator from Arizona before declining to seek reelection, acknowledged in a deposition that she had a sexual relationship with Matthew Ammel. Ammel served on her security detail after retiring from the United States Army in 2022. The former senator contended, however, that she could not be sued in North Carolina because she maintained no meaningful ties to the state.
Judge Bragdon disagreed with this assessment. In his ruling, he noted that Sinema was aware Matthew Ammel resided in North Carolina with his wife and their three children. The judge further cited nine messages Sinema sent to Ammel while he was in North Carolina, which Heather Ammel discovered in early 2024. These communications, the judge determined, were sufficient to establish jurisdiction and allow the lawsuit to proceed.
The case centers on North Carolina’s alienation of affection law, a legal framework that exists in only a handful of states. This statute permits a spouse to seek monetary damages from a third party believed to have caused the dissolution of a marriage. In her complaint, Heather Ammel seeks damages from Sinema, alleging the former lawmaker deliberately pursued her husband and interfered with what she describes as a good and loving marriage.
According to court documents, Matthew Ammel joined Sinema’s security team in 2022 and subsequently traveled with her on domestic and international trips. In a July deposition conducted at a law office in Raleigh, the unmarried former senator testified that her first sexual encounter with Ammel occurred around Memorial Day 2024 at a residence in Napa, California.
Judge Bragdon’s ruling suggests the messages exchanged between Sinema and Ammel demonstrated the former senator was actively furthering a romantic relationship with him, both during their travels together and when he returned to his family home. The judge characterized this conduct as invading the Ammel marriage.
The decision represents a significant development in a case that has drawn attention to North Carolina’s distinctive marital tort law. While such statutes were once common throughout the United States, most states have abolished alienation of affection claims in recent decades. North Carolina remains among the few jurisdictions where spurned spouses retain the legal right to pursue damages from individuals they believe contributed to their divorce.
The lawsuit will now proceed through the North Carolina court system. Legal representatives for Sinema did not provide comment on the judge’s ruling. The case continues to develop as both parties prepare for further proceedings.
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