Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Faces Setback in Homewrecker Lawsuit From Bodyguard Boyfriend’s Ex-Wife

A federal judge in North Carolina has ruled that a so-called “homewrecker lawsuit” against former Senator Kyrsten Sinema may move forward to trial, allowing claims brought by the ex-wife of Sinema’s boyfriend and former bodyguard to proceed.

The ruling marks a significant setback for the former Arizona lawmaker and could expose her to tens of thousands of dollars in potential civil damages.

The case centered on Sinema’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Heather Ammel, whose former husband, Matthew Ammel, worked as Sinema’s bodyguard before the two became romantically involved.

Sinema and Matthew Ammel began an affair in 2024, at a time when he was still employed on Sinema’s payroll as a bodyguard and was still living in North Carolina with his wife and children. Heather Ammel sued Sinema under North Carolina’s “alienation of affection” law, a rarely used 19th century tort that remains in effect in only a small number of U.S. states.

U.S. District Judge David Bragdon issued the decision weeks after Heather Ammel and Sinema appeared in person and testified during an evidentiary hearing last month. The order clears the way for a civil trial, which will be scheduled for a later date.

“The evidence demonstrates that although the relationship between Mr. and Ms. Ammel was turbulent in 2024, there was still genuine love and affection between them, as reflected in their text messages” and other interactions, Bragdon wrote in his order. The judge also pointed to the absence of Matthew Ammel, who was the only party who did not appear in person for the hearing.

During the evidentiary hearing, testimony from Heather Ammel and Sinema laid out the timeline, locations and intimate details of the affair, including questions about what Sinema knew regarding Matthew Ammel’s marriage, and when she knew it.

Heather Ammel told the court last month that Sinema seized on Ammel at a vulnerable time in his life, shortly after he retired from the US Army in 2022.

Matthew took the job, Heather testified, to find a sense of purpose following his retirement, and to secure a stable income to provide for their family and children.

Within months, however, she told the court that dynamic with his new employer began to change. 

Heather described the shift in her husband’s behavior more than once as the result of what she said were ‘grooming’ behaviors by then-Senator Sinema.

‘I felt completely powerless,’ Heather told the court, and Sinema, by extension, who was watching carefully just several feet away.

‘It was me against a sitting senator with power, and money … she had her hooks in him,’ Heather said. 

Sinema also spoke at length about the timeline and nature of her relationship with Matthew, which she says began in May 2024, after he pursued her during a trip to Napa Valley. 

‘He approached me … and we had sex,’ she told the court, choosing her words carefully.

Sinema dismissed the romantic encounter as a one off, telling her lawyer: ‘I’m not like that.’

 The two allegedly continued seeing each other in a sexual manner in the months that followed, as she has previously acknowledged, and remain in a relationship to this date.

The update from the federal judge is significant, and clears the way for parties to begin discovery and prepare for civil trial.

The judge separately expressed concerns about the veracity of the statements given by Heather’s ex-husband, Matthew Ammel, observing in a footnote that his depositions to the court contain ‘multiple statements that conflict with his previous deposition and Ms. Sinema’s deposition.’

‘Mr. Ammel did not testify at the hearing and does not have a record of telling the truth in this matter,’ the judge added.

 ‘Therefore, the Court finds Ms. Ammel more credible than Mr. Ammel.’

Heather Ammel could profit handsomely from the trial. She’s seeking $75,000 in compensatory damages, though Tar Heel State juries have been famously sympathetic in tortious interference cases in recent years – often awarding compensatory and punitive damages into the millions.