Miami-Dade Officers Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana Sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Over Netflix’s The Rip

Two Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officers, Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, sued Ben Affleck and Matt Damon over their Netflix action thriller “The Rip,” alleging the film used too many real-life details and caused harm to their personal and professional reputations.

“Two police officers working for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office have filed a lawsuit against Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for allegedly causing “substantial harm” to their reputations with their Netflix movie, The Rip, which they allege makes them look like “dirty cops”

Complex

The lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court earlier this month, targets Artists Equity, a film production company owned by Affleck and Damon, and seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees, plus a public retraction and correction.

Complex

The movie, directed by Joe Carnahan and debuted in January on Netflix, features Affleck and Damon as South Florida police officers who find millions of dollars inside a house, with parts inspired by a real 2016 case in which police found over $21 million linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker in a Miami Lakes home.

In a March 19 response to the plaintiffs’ demand letter, Leita Walker wrote that the film does not purport to tell the true story of that incident or portray real people, which had been stated by a disclaimer in the film’s credits.

The complaint says the film’s inclusion of real details gives the impression that the characters are based on the plaintiffs, even though Smith and Santana aren’t named in the movie.

The officers’ complaint alleges the film falsely portrays them as corrupt cops, with the movie and its promotional content “imply misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law-enforcement operation,” according to NBC 6 South Florida.

In the same dispute, a Guardian report quotes Santana telling 7 News Miami, “We never stole a dollar. “[They’re] pretty much saying, you know, how many buckets of money did I steal?”,” as the lawsuit seeks defamation damages from Artists Equity.

Florida Politics

The Guardian also describes “The Rip” as a dramatization of a 2016 drugs bust on a private residence in Miami Lakes in which $24m cash was recovered, and says the money was found in 24 buckets containing a million dollars each.

Fox News adds that the lawsuit says the film’s “inspired by true events” framing includes enough real-world facts to damage the reputations of Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, including location settings, details about the false wall, and cash found in orange buckets.

The lawsuit further points to a June 29, 2016, drug investigation in which Smith and Santana participated in the seizure of more than $24 million, and it accuses Affleck and Damon of defamation per se, defamation by implication and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The legal fight is tied to the timing of the amended complaint, with Fox News saying lawyers for Smith and Santana have until tomorrow to file an amended complaint to satisfy the judge’s jurisdiction concerns, and that if they fail the case would be dismissed.

“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”

Florida Politics

Variety reports that the lawsuit asks for “a public retraction and correction,” including “the addition of a prominent disclaimer” to the movie, alongside “compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees.”

People reports that Smith and Santana are seeking unspecified damages, and says representatives for Affleck and Damon did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment while Netflix did not immediately respond either.

The Boston Globe adds that the complaint seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees, as well as a public retraction and correction, and it notes that the film’s inclusion of real details gives the impression the characters are based on the plaintiffs.

The dispute also references a cease-and-desist effort, with People saying the officers sent a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers in December 2025 before the movie’s release, objecting to the trailer and marketing.