Ex-Senator Kyrsten Sinema arrives in court to defend steamy affair with her bodyguard boyfriend and take on his disgruntled ex-wife face-to-face
Kyrsten Sinema, the former US senator, appeared in a North Carolina federal court as part of an "alienation of affection" lawsuit brought by Heather Ammel, the ex-wife of Sinema's former bodyguard, Matthew Ammel. Heather is suing Sinema under a rare 19th-century law, still in force in only a handful of US states, alleging Sinema deliberately destroyed her decade-long marriage. The hearing matters because the judge must decide whether the case can proceed to trial or whether Sinema's bid to dismiss it succeeds, hinging on where certain messages between her and Ammel were sent.
Court filings and depositions have revealed extensive details of the affair, which Sinema testified began when Ammel, then her employee, kissed her at a Napa Airbnb over Memorial Day weekend 2024. Heather told the court she had long suspected the relationship, citing solo trips, a swimsuit photo beneath a waterfall in Colorado, and Ammel's eventual refusal to share his location, before intercepting a late-night message from Sinema to her husband in October 2024. The pair reportedly continued meeting in cities including Washington DC, Aspen, Phoenix and New York, and Heather is seeking tens of thousands of dollars in damages.
- Sinema faces "alienation of affection" lawsuit over bodyguard affair
- Ex-wife Heather Ammel cites 19th-century law, seeks damages
- Court hearing to decide if case proceeds to trial
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In the United States, marriage and divorce laws vary by state. A few states still allow a spouse to sue someone outside the marriage for “alienation of affection”, a claim that the person deliberately helped break up the marriage.
Heather Ammel has brought such a case against Kyrsten Sinema, a former US senator, over Sinema’s relationship with Matthew Ammel, Heather’s former husband and Sinema’s former bodyguard. The case centres on whether the relationship legally caused the marriage to end, and whether the court has authority to hear the claim.
The court must first decide whether the lawsuit can proceed, including where messages between Sinema and Matthew Ammel were sent. That decision will determine whether the dispute moves towards a trial, where the claims and evidence could be examined further.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The law recognises that deliberately interfering in someone's marriage is a wrongful act deserving remedy. Sinema made calculated decisions to pursue Heather's husband whilst knowing he was married, thereby causing measurable harm. Holding such deliberate conduct accountable is consistent with tort law principles whereby third parties can be held liable when their actions damage another's interests.
The case against
Alienation of affection laws are 19th-century relics that wrongly hold third parties liable for others' choices. Matthew Ammel chose to pursue the affair; Sinema could not have forced him to do so. These laws are outdated and increasingly weaponised for revenge, and modern justice should hold individuals accountable for their own decisions rather than creating liability for third parties.