Two Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies have filed a federal lawsuit against Ben Affleck and Matt Damon-led production company, claiming that their Netflix crime drama ‘The Rip’ damaged their personal and professional reputations by falsely depicting them as corrupt police officers.
Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, two deputies in the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, are suing the actors’ production company, Artists Equity, over characters in the Netflix movie ‘The Rip’.
The lawsuit also names Falco Pictures, which was also involved in producing the movie. Netflix, which distributed the film, is not named in the lawsuit.
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Smith was the sergeant supervising the real investigation. Santana was the lead detective and has since been promoted to sergeant as well. Their names are not used in the movie. But the lawsuit alleges they were the basis for the characters Damon and Affleck play on screen.
What is ‘The Rip’ about
‘The Rip’ follows two Miami-Dade police officers who uncover millions of dollars of cash and corruption in the police department. The film was billed as being inspired by real-life events. The movie was based on a massive narcotics bust made by Miami-Dade County deputies on June 29, 2016.
The film was advertised as “inspired by true events,” including how the Miami-Dade narcotics unit found $21.9 million hidden behind a false wall in orange buckets. Matt Damon plays Lt. Dane Dumars and Ben Affleck plays Detective Sgt. J.D. Byrne.
The core allegations
Smith and Santana allege the characters played by Affleck and Damon in the movie caused them “substantial harm to their personal and professional reputations” because the movie and its advertisements “imply misconduct, poor judgment and unethical behavior in connection with a real law enforcement operation.”
The lawsuit contends that the film included enough real-world facts to damage their reputations, including location settings, details about the false wall, the cash being found in orange buckets, and a loaded Tech 9 firearm stashed with the cash.
The lawsuit also claimed that ‘The Rip’ added fabricated plotlines to portray police corruption, cartel dealings, and even murder. It cites specific scenes in the movie in which officers discuss stealing some of the seized cash, as well as lying to suspects and communicating directly with the cartel. In one scene, Affleck’s character kills a DEA agent.
The officers’ attorneys also claim friends, coworkers, relatives questioned whether the officers used seized money for expensive purchases after watching the movie.
Santana put it plainly. “When you rip something, you’re stealing something,” he said. “We never stole a dollar.”
What the officers are demanding
Smith and Santana are seeking damages exceeding $75,000 for allegations of defamation and emotional distress. Lawyers for Smith and Santana are asking for “a public retraction and correction,” including “the addition of a prominent disclaimer” to the movie, as well as compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
How the producers responded
The plaintiffs’ attorneys allege that the defendants responded to their inquiry after the film released in January 2026 by saying that the “concerns are unfounded because the film did not expressly name Sergeant Smith and there was no implication that the Plaintiffs engaged in any misconduct in the film.”
The film’s producers countered that it was a fictionalised movie that carried a disclaimer already. They also mentioned that the characters are not real people.
Affleck and Damon have not issued a public statement in response to the lawsuit. Damon and Affleck themselves had publicly said police are “underappreciated” and “underfunded” in an interview. The case is now proceeding in federal court in Florida.