Newshub
Dec 18, 2025

Kyrsten Sinema Seeks Dismissal of Lawsuit Alleging Affair With Bodyguard

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.

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