Friday, March, 13 2026 - Former US Senator Kyrsten Sinema has acknowledged in court documents that she had a relationship with a man who was still married at the time, but she argues that a lawsuit filed against her by his estranged wife should be dismissed because the alleged conduct did not occur in the state where the case was filed.
The legal dispute involves Matthew Ammel and his estranged
wife, Heather Ammel. Heather Ammel filed the lawsuit in North Carolina in
September 2025.
In her motion to dismiss, Sinema acknowledged that she and
Matthew Ammel began a romantic relationship in 2024, several months before he
formally separated from his wife. According to the filing, the relationship
began in late May 2024, with the first physical encounter taking place on May
27 in Sonoma. The court documents also state that the two were intimate in
several other cities in the months that followed, including New York City,
Washington, D.C., Aspen and Phoenix.
Sinema’s legal argument focuses on jurisdiction. She
contends that the lawsuit should not proceed in North Carolina because none of
the alleged encounters took place in that state. Her lawyers argue that the
geographic locations of the meetings are central to determining whether the
North Carolina courts have authority to hear the case. Heather Ammel’s lawsuit
also alleges that Sinema sent romantic messages to her husband while he was in
North Carolina, including a photograph of herself wrapped only in a towel.
Sinema disputes that claim in her filing, stating that she
did not send such a photograph. She further argues that even if such a message
had been sent, she was not aware that Matthew Ammel was in North Carolina at
the time, meaning it should not establish legal jurisdiction there.
The case now centers on whether the courts in North Carolina
have the authority to hear the lawsuit or whether the claims should be
dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction.
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