Former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is asking a North Carolina court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing her of having an affair with a married bodyguard during her time in office. The complaint was filed in Moore County, North Carolina, in September 2025 by Matthew Ammel’s ex-wife, a former security staffer who worked for Sinema.
The suit alleges the relationship contributed to the breakdown of the couple’s marriage and seeks damages under North Carolina’s “alienation of affection” law — a statute that allows a spouse to sue a third party accused of interfering in a marriage.
In a motion to dismiss filed this week, Sinema acknowledged that she and Ammel began a romantic relationship in May 2024. That date is significant because Ammel did not separate from his wife until roughly five months later.
However, Sinema argues that the case should be thrown out on jurisdictional grounds. According to her filing, the relationship occurred “exclusively outside of North Carolina,” and therefore the state court lacks authority to hear the claim.
The motion states that nearly all communications between Sinema and Ammel took place while both were outside North Carolina. It further contends that the only contact between them while Ammel was physically present in the state occurred in October 2024 — after he had already moved out of the marital home.
The lawsuit paints a different timeline. According to the complaint, the alleged relationship first intersected with Ammel’s marriage during a December 2023 trip to Las Vegas. The filing claims Sinema asked Ammel to serve as her “security” so she could attend a U2 concert at the Sphere. Ammel reportedly invited his wife along on the trip, presenting it as a “gift.” After the concert, the couple went out for drinks.
The complaint alleges that in the weeks following that trip, Sinema and Ammel began communicating more frequently using Signal, an encrypted messaging application. Court papers claim the messages “exceeded the bounds of a normal working relationship and were of romantic and lascivious natures.”
The filings further allege that Sinema instructed Ammel to “bring MDMA drugs on a work trip” so she could “guide him through a psychedelic experience.” Additional incidents described in the complaint include travel to the Innings Festival, where Sinema allegedly became “handsy,” and trips to San Francisco, Napa Valley and a Taylor Swift concert.
The ex-wife is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, arguing that Sinema’s actions constituted “wrongful and malicious acts” that destroyed the marriage.
According to court filings, Sinema and Ammel remain “engaged in a romantic and sexual relationship.”
Employment records cited in the complaint indicate Ammel was initially hired and paid through Sinema’s campaign account. By the summer of 2024 — while Sinema was still serving in the Senate — he had been placed on her official Senate payroll as a staff member.
Sinema did not seek reelection in 2024 after a turbulent single term that saw her break with progressives and leave the Democratic Party to register as an independent. Since leaving Congress, she has joined the Washington-based law and lobbying firm Hogan Lovells, where she has worked on issues including data center development and research funding for the psychedelic drug ibogaine.
The court has not yet ruled on her motion to dismiss. If the judge agrees that North Carolina lacks jurisdiction, the case could be thrown out or refiled in another state.
North Carolina is one of the few states that still recognizes alienation of affection claims, a controversial civil cause of action that critics argue is outdated but supporters say protects the legal sanctity of marriage. Courts in the state have occasionally awarded substantial judgments in such cases, though defendants frequently challenge jurisdiction or venue.
The court has not yet ruled on her motion to dismiss. If the judge finds North Carolina lacks jurisdiction, the lawsuit could be dismissed or potentially refiled in another state. Until then, the case remains an active legal and political complication for the former senator.