When a homewrecker invades a marriage, laws in most states provide little recourse for spouses and children whose lives are torn apart. But devastation from betrayal is real. North Carolina is one of the few states that offers protection.
In the latest lawsuit for alienation of affections, Heather Ammel, a wife and mother of three children ranging in age from 10 to 14, claims former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema seduced her husband and destroyed her 14-year marriage and her family. The action comes on the heels of another 2024 lawsuit filed in North Carolina against a TikTok influencer Brenay Kennard for having an affair with the plaintiff’s husband. Shortly before Christmas, a jury awarded the plaintiff damages of $1.75 million.
Over the last decade, cases against a third party who interferes with the sanctity of marriage have become fairly common in North Carolina, with jury awards in excess of $1 million. In 2014, the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the state’s highest award thus far of $30 million. The suit against Sinema, which was recently removed to federal court, demands a jury trial and damages in excess of $75,000.
Ammel’s 14-page complaint is thorough and shocking. Although Sinema appears to reside in both Arizona and Washington, D.C., where she’s now a high-powered lawyer, the complaint details a string of affair-related activities connected with the Tar Heel state that may force the former politician to stand trial there for her actions.
Specifically, the complaint alleges that Sinema actively pursued Ammel’s husband beginning in 2022 when she hired him for her security detail. Previously, Mr. Ammel had been a firearms instructor and had served multiple tours of duty for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and the Middle East. The plaintiff claims that she and her children also met Sinema, who was clearly aware that her husband was married.
Early on, Ammel said her husband told her that he tried to establish boundaries when Sinema got “handsy.” Apparently, though, she refused to stop. Before Sinema’s alleged “intentional and malicious interference” with the plaintiff’s marriage, Ammel says she and her husband “had a good and loving marriage” and an “active, generous, and fulfilling sexual relationship.”
The complaint maintains that Sinema sent text messages of a “romantic and lascivious nature,” including a message about “sex missionary style” and a photo of Sinema in a towel, bought her husband gifts, took him on trips, invited him to her residences alone, and suggested he bring psychedelic drugs on a work trip, and more. In 2024, Mr. Ammel allegedly stopped wearing his wedding ring and left the marital residence. Divorce followed.
In a moment of pure brazen chutzpah, Sinema allegedly even waited for her lover outside in a car during the Ammel’s divorce mediation and allegedly attended concerts with Mr. Ammel and his children.
Sinema’s answer to the allegations must be filed on or before Feb. 19, 2026. She recently replaced her lawyer with a seasoned litigator and North Carolina “Super Lawyer,” which indicates she’s prepared to fight.
By the early 20th century, nearly every state recognized a cause of action for alienation of affections under what were known as “heart balm” torts. Starting in 1935, however, one by one, states began eliminating them. Now they exist in only five states besides North Carolina — Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, Mississippi, and Utah. But legislators in South Dakota and Utah are seeking to eliminate them, claiming the laws disrespect spouses seeking to “move on to a different relationship.”
Never mind that under our nation’s no-fault divorce laws, cheaters can already leave a marriage with impunity, secure a divorce on demand, and force equitable distribution of marital property, often to obtain funds with which to build another family. Never mind that adultery has become normalized in our society with states eliminating most laws against it. Indeed, last year Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill repealing New York’s misdemeanor statute against adultery, calling the law “silly and outdated.”
But the negative consequences of divorce are devastating to spouses and children emotionally, physically, and financially. And research demonstrates a high correlation between infidelity and divorce. Unsurprisingly, Ammel claims she’s suffered severe mental anguish, embarrassment, and humiliation as a result of Sinema’s alleged action. She’s been unable to sleep, she says, and suffers from depression and anxiety. Her financial situation has worsened — her husband was the breadwinner while she took care of absolutely everything else, including him during his darkest days with PTSD, only to be repaid with the worst sort of betrayal. It’s no secret either that stay-at-home moms often get the shaft in family court.
“[Sinema’s] conduct evidenced a complete disregard for the Ammels’ marriage as well as the family as a whole,” Ammel’s attorney told me. “Heather simply seeks to hold Ms. Sinema accountable for her destructive behavior.”
Mitch Prosser, Vice President of the N.C. Family Policy Council told me he is grateful that, “North Carolina still holds any third party accountable who seeks to undermine
and destroy the sacred union of marriage through its criminal conversation
[adultery] and alienation of affection statutes.”
After leaving Congress a year ago, Sinema spoke with PBS about the subject of respect, criticizing the media for routinely “paint[ing] politicians in black and white terms, good or evil.”
If the allegations against Sinema in North Carolina are upheld, there’s only one way to characterize her behavior.
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