Overview
- In a July 31 deposition Sinema said the relationship began over Memorial Day 2024 at an Airbnb in Napa and that they had multiple sexual encounters in New York, Washington, Aspen and Phoenix.
- Heather Ammel filed a suit in North Carolina under the state’s alienation-of-affection law seeking at least $75,000 and alleging the relationship helped end her 14-year marriage.
- Sinema moved the case to federal court and argues the state lacks personal jurisdiction because most alleged conduct occurred outside North Carolina.
- The filings include text-message exhibits and contested discovery fights, including a defense subpoena for the plaintiff’s therapist records that her lawyers opposed.
- A federal evidentiary hearing on Aug. 19 will focus on whether the case can proceed in North Carolina rather than on the underlying merits and its ruling will decide the next steps in the litigation.