A federal judge has ruled former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) is eligible to be sued under what is commonly known as North Carolina’s “homewrecker law” for her romantic relationship with a married member of her security detail.
Sinema has admitted to the affair with Matthew Ammel in 2024, but her civil defense lawyers argued she cannot be sued in North Carolina because she has no ties to the state.
U.S. District Judge David A. Bragdon disagreed, on Friday denying the former lawmakers request to dismiss the civil complaint brought by the security guard’s ex-wife, Heather Ammel.
Matthew Ammel received nine messages from Sinema while he was at his North Carolina home, an act which the judge determined gives the state jurisdiction over the case.
“These messages, considered together, show Ms. Sinema building and furthering a romantic relationship with Mr. Ammel—invading the marriage not just while he was away on trips with her but while he was home with his family in North Carolina,” the judge wrote in his order.
The lawsuit alleged that besides the affair Sinema apparently attempted to treat Ammel’s PTSD from his army service in the Middle East with a powerful psychedelic drug.
According to a Hill report not long after the suit was filed in late 2025:
The complaint is full of bombshell claims, including that Sinema asked her security employee, Matthew Ammel, to bring MDMA on a work trip so that she could guide him through a psychedelic experience and that she messaged him about sexual positions in certain scenarios.
MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, is a recreational drug that enhances sensory experience. In recent years, it has been used in therapy settings, but the Food and Drug Administration last year declined to approve it as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Hallucinogenic treatments have shown potential as a treatment for trauma and depression in recent studies. However, treatments are typically administered in controlled clinical settings by licensed physicians and therapists.
Sinema has a master’s degree in social work and later became an attorney and law professor at Arizona State University. A former Democrat who registered as an independent in 2022, she served as a U.S. senator from 2019 until 2025.
North Carolina is one of a handful of states where people can sue for “alienation of affection,” the various news outlets reported Saturday.
The Ammels had “a good and loving marriage” with “genuine love and affection” before Sinema interfered, pursuing the husband despite knowing he was married, the wife alleged in her lawsuit.
The civil complaint can now go forward as plaintiff Heather Ammel seeks at least $75,000 in financial damages from the former lawmaker.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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