South Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in ‘The Rip’ are too real
The officers say the Netflix thriller used distinctive details from a 2016 raid and falsely portrayed them as corrupt, damaging their reputations.
- On Tuesday, Miami-Dade officers Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith sued Artists Equity and Falco Pictures for defamation, alleging the Netflix thriller "The Rip" falsely portrays them as corrupt.
- The film claims to be "inspired by true events," borrowing from the officers' 2016 Miami-Dade raid where they lawfully discovered $21,970,411 in cash hidden behind a false wall.
- Plaintiffs allege "The Rip" added fabricated plotlines involving theft and murder, causing reputational harm that led colleagues to mock Santana by asking how many buckets he kept.
- The officers warned filmmakers before the movie's release, sending a cease-and-desist letter in December 2025; Netflix, which is not named as a defendant, has not responded to requests for comment.
54 Articles
54 Articles
Washington Top News
Washington TimesSouth Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in ‘The Rip’ are too real
MIAMI (AP) — Two South Florida police officers claim Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s recent action thriller “The Rip” used too many real-life details in its fictionalized narrative, causing harm to the officers’ personal and professional reputations, according to a defamation lawsuit. Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, sergeants in the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, filed the lawsuit in Miami federal court earlier this month against Artists Equity, a …
Two American police officers have sued actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for defamation because their film The Rip allegedly bears too much resemblance to a case they worked on in real life. The officers are therefore demanding damages and a retraction. In the film, which was also produced by the actors, Damon and Affleck play two drug agents who stumble upon a large amount of cash in a storage facility in southern Florida. This causes unrest wi…
Associated Press News
South Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in 'The Rip' are too real
Two South Florida police officers claim Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s recent action thriller “The Rip” used too many real-life details in its fictionalized narrative, causing harm to the officers’ personal and professional reputations.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
