Two Miami-Dade County law enforcement officers are suing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon over their Netflix crime drama “The Rip,” alleging the film falsely portrays them as corrupt cops.
The complaint alleges the movie defamed the officers by depicting fictional law enforcement characters allegedly inspired by their real-life narcotics investigation.
While neither plaintiff is identified by name in the film, the lawsuit argues the movie contains enough specific details for viewers to connect the characters to them, according to Entertainment Weekly, which first reported on the legal action Saturday.
Officers Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office filed the lawsuit against Artists Equity, the production company founded by Affleck and Damon. The complaint also names Falco Productions, the actors’ LLC production company.
Released earlier this year on Netflix, “The Rip” stars Damon as Lt. Dane Dumars and Affleck as Detective Sgt. J.D. Byrne. The film centers on Miami-Dade officers who uncover $20 million in cartel cash and become entangled in a widening corruption scandal inside the Police Department.
The lawsuit points to a June 29, 2016, drug investigation in which Smith and Santana participated in the seizure of more than $24 million. Their lawyers argue the movie borrowed “unique, non-generic details” from that case, including the Miami-Dade setting and narcotics-unit backdrop, creating what they describe as a “reasonable inference” that the fictional officers are based on the plaintiffs.
The complaint accuses Affleck and Damon of defamation per se, defamation by implication and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys fees and a public retraction that would include a more prominent disclaimer attached to the film.
Among the scenes cited in the lawsuit are depictions of officers violating police procedures and one sequence in which Affleck’s character kills a Drug Enforcement Administration agent. Santana and Smith contend the film falsely suggests they engaged in misconduct or improperly benefited from seized drug money.
After the film’s release, friends and colleagues questioned whether the officers had used confiscated cash to pay for personal expenses, including home improvements, vehicles and private school tuition for their children, the lawsuit claims.
The officers’ lawyers also allege they sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers in December 2025 before the movie’s release, demanding changes and warning of allegedly defamatory content.
“The Rip” debuted on Netflix in January, after which the suit says the defendants called Santana and Smith’s concerns “unfounded” because the movie never explicitly named Smith or Santana.
This isn’t the first time the film has drawn negative attention from South Florida officials. In late January, Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo announced he was considering legal action against Netflix, which he accused of defaming his city and improperly using its Police Department’s logo while negatively portraying the agency.