Kyrsten Sinema has acknowledged in court documents that she had an affair with her bodyguard, Matthew Ammel, while he was still married, but argues his estranged wife lacks grounds to sue her in North Carolina.
Sinema filed a motion Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit from Heather Ammel, filed in North Carolina in September 2025. She confirms their romantic and physical relationship started in late May 2024 about five months before Ammel separated from his wife with their first encounter on May 27 in Sonoma, California. Encounters continued in New York City, Washington, D.C., Aspen, and Phoenix.
Sinema stresses no intimacy occurred in North Carolina, aiming to avoid that state’s court. She denies sending Matthew a towel photo while he was there (as alleged) and says she was unaware of his location anyway.
Heather accuses Sinema of sending romantic messages, including the revealing photo, to Matthew in North Carolina. Sinema’s filing counters that such actions don’t establish jurisdiction there.