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Topics: US News, Politics, Court, Sex and Relationships
Ellie Kemp
Topics: US News, Politics, Court, Sex and Relationships
Former US Senator Kyrsten Sinema has been sued for allegedly having an affair with a member of her security team in an explosive lawsuit.
The civil complaint, filed in North Carolina by Heather Ammel, claims the former Arizona lawmaker broke up her 14-year marriage with Matthew Ammel through 'intentional and malicious interference'.
Sinema served one term in the US Senate from 2019 to 2025. Elected as a Democrat, she later left the party to become an independent, before confirming in 2024 that she would not seek re-election.
Mr Ammel began working on Sinema’s security detail in April 2022 after retiring from the US Army, where he served multiple deployments overseas.
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He later became a salaried member of her Senate staff as a defence and national security fellow, the complaint says, via The Hill.
Mrs Ammel's lawsuit alleges Sinema sent her husband sexually explicit and suggestive messages.
One rather unusual exchange saw Mr Ammel suggest the pair having missionary sex with the lights on, to which Sinema responded: "Boring!"
The complaint also claims Sinema encouraged him to bring MDMA - also known as ecstasy or 'molly' - on work trips so she could guide him through a psychedelic experience, and that she paid for psychedelic treatment for him, as per the New York Times.
The suit further alleges Sinema became physically affectionate with Mr Ammel at public events, showered him with gifts and concert tickets, and took him on trips to places including Napa Valley and Las Vegas.
Heather - who shares three children with her ex-husband - claims Mr Ammel later stopped wearing his wedding ring for 'public optics' and eventually admitted he was having an affair before filing for divorce.
The lawsuit was made under an 'alienation of affection' claim, which is recognized only a handful of US states, including North Carolina.
It allows a spouse to seek damages from a third party accused of breaking up a marriage.
To be won, the plaintiff must prove that that a 'loving marital relationship' existed before the third party’s interference, as per Ward Family Law Group.
It must also be proven that the affection between the spouses 'was alienated or destroyed by someone outside the marriage,' that the third party's actions were 'wilful and malicious' and that it resulted in the demolition of 'affection and emotional connection' between husband and wife.
Mrs Ammel is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, as well as punitive damages and legal fees.
Earlier this week, Sinema’s attorney requested the lawsuit be moved to federal court, the New York Times added.
UNILAD contacted Sinema, via her current employer Hogan Lovells, for comment.