Florida police officers are suing Matt Damon, Ben Affleck for defamation in relation to their film “The Rip”, which was based on a true case. The Plaintiffs claim that their reputations as law enforcement officers have been damaged by the way they were depicted on the Netflix action/thriller film, released in January 2026. The Rip, starring Damon and Affleck, was produced by Artists Equity. The production company that the two actors founded.

Officers claim Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s ‘The Rip’ caused reputational damage

According to a complaint obtained from Entertainment Weekly, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Officers Jonathan Santana, and Jason Smith filed a suit against Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck, through their production company Artists Equity. They cited defamation as a whole and defamation implied over “The Rip.”

According to the filing, “The Rip” was inspired by a 2016 drug bust in Miami Lakes, where officers including Santana, Smith and others seized over $21 million (or even $24 million according to some reports) of cash, the biggest amount ever recovered in Miami-Dade’s history.

Santana, Smith, and Affleck were not mentioned in the film, but the actors claim that the characters of Damon and Affleck are very similar to theirs, and the viewers can infer from this that the roles were based upon the lives of these two people. They claim that the majority of events in the movie did not occur in real life.

‘The Rip’ took creative liberties

In “The Rip”, Damon and Affleck star as Lieutenant Dane Dumars (Damon) and Detective Det. Sgt. J.D. Byrne. The film follows a group who discover a large amount of cash. They are tested on their loyalty and trust and the corruption in the Miami-Dade Police Department is exposed. Steven Yeun is also featured in the film, as are Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle.

The movie claims to be based on real events. However, the plaintiffs claim that “a large seizure took place” and that “the events depicted in the film were not true.”

Santana and Smith say that their integrity was questioned because of “The Rip” by friends and co-workers. The filing stated that “Viewers associate the Miami-Dade Police Department with Plaintiffs because of the corrupt portrayals shown in ‘The Rip'”.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck: The real story behind the movie

In June 2016, police officers raided a Miami Lakes house and discovered that more than 21 million dollars in cash were hidden in five-gallon buckets. The buckets were found hidden in the attic of the house. In connection with this raid, two siblings, suspected marijuana traffickers Luis Hernandez-Gonzalez, and Salma Hernandez were arrested.

Santana stated in an interview with 7 News Miami that “When you rip a thing, you are stealing it.” The deputy claimed that they never stole a penny. He said he had been praised 10 years earlier for his work, but jokes have started since the release of “The Rip”. “Pretty well saying, you’re asking, how much money did I steal?”

The complaint also listed several scenes from the film where the characters blurred professional and moral boundaries, such as one scene in which Affleck’s character killed a DEA Agent.

The Plaintiffs Received A Letter of Cease-and-Desist

The filing claims that Santana’s and Smith’s attorneys sent a cease-and desist letter to the production company in December asking it not to release “The Rip”. They claimed that they received a reply after the film had already been released on Netflix on 16 January, stating that their claims were “unfounded.”

They portrayed police officers and my clients as dirty. Their reputations have been damaged.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck did their research

In an interview in January with TODAY Damon and Affleck discussed how they spent some time with real Miami police officers to conduct and prepare for the movie. The two also revealed that a few of the officers played supporting roles in the film.

Joe Carnahan, the writer and director of “The Rip”, said that his friend Chris Casiano inspired him to make the film after showing him photos from a raid his team and he conducted. Carnahan said, “When he showed the photos of the containers they sledgehammered from the wall, I thought, ‘Wow’.” He told Gold Derby. He also added that he believed that officers counting millions in cash in the walls would make a good movie.

Damon and Affleck’s attorneys are yet to reply to the lawsuit.

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