Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona may take the stand Wednesday in a lawsuit over an affair she had with her bodyguard in 2024, according to Politico. The case tests North Carolina’s “homewrecker” law, which allows jilted spouses to sue a partner’s lover.
The bodyguard’s former wife says Sinema caused their marriage to break down while the Democrat-turned-Independent was still in office.
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In a deposition last month, Sinema admitted she entered into a sexual relationship with Matthew Ammel while in California in May 2024. She said Ammel told her he was divorcing his wife.
Sinema, Matthew Ammel and his ex-wife, Heather Ammel, are all scheduled to testify in court Wednesday. First, however, a federal judge in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will decide whether Sinema has enough ties to the state to be sued there.
What’s a homewrecker lawsuit?
Fear No Fact.
To win an Alienation of Affection claim, a plaintiff must prove there was genuine love and affection in the marriage, destruction of that love and “malicious interference” by the defendant, according to Cape Fear Family Law.
North Carolina is one of just six states that allow lawsuits under an antiquated claim known as alienation of affection. It’s a civil action that allows a person who’s been left by their spouse to sue a third party for intentionally destroying a marriage.
Homewrecker lawsuits can cost defendants hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in damages and legal fees.
Heather Ammel sued Sinema in January. She claims Sinema “willfully and intentionally” seduced her husband of 14 years and is seeking more than $75,000 in damages.
Sinema argues that she should not be sued in North Carolina since the affair did not happen there.
The affair
During her deposition in July, Sinema said her relationship with Matthew Ammel went from professional to sexual while they were staying at an Airbnb in Napa, California, around Memorial Day 2024.
Sinema said Ammel accompanied her to a wedding in New York City about a month later. They had separate hotel rooms, but she said they were “intimate” in hers during the trip.
According to court records, Sinema testified that over several months in 2024, they also had sex at her Washington, D.C., apartment, in Aspen, Colorado, and at her house in Phoenix. Sinema confirmed she knew Ammel was married at the time of their encounters.
During the deposition, a lawyer asked Sinema about a series of text and photo messages between her and Ammel and if she believed “a wife reading this might get concerned about who is sending her husband that kind of message.” Sinema’s only response was, “Yes.”
What happens now
As part of Wednesday’s hearing, U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon will review supplemental briefs that were filed last week, hear testimony from both sides and review other evidence. Sinema has also said she intends to call live witnesses regarding the jurisdictional dispute, according to Newsweek.
Bragdon, a Trump appointee, will then determine whether North Carolina has jurisdiction over Sinema in the case. If he allows the lawsuit to move forward, the case could potentially go to trial.
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