Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are at the centre of a new legal battle after two Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office officers filed a defamation lawsuit over the pair’s Netflix crime drama The Rip. The officers allege the film’s portrayal of law enforcement caused serious harm to their personal and professional reputations.
Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana claim the movie, produced by Affleck and Damon’s company Artists Equity, implies misconduct, poor judgement and unethical behaviour connected to a real police operation. While neither officer is named in the film, the lawsuit argues the characters are closely linked to them through distinctive details drawn from an actual case.
The Rip follows two Miami‑Dade officers, played by Damon and Affleck, whose discovery of roughly $20 million in cartel cash exposes corruption within the police force. The plaintiffs say the story mirrors a real June 2016 drug bust in which more than $21 million was seized, the largest cash seizure in the department’s history.
According to court documents, the officers allege that scenes showing rule‑breaking and criminal behaviour, including a moment where Affleck’s character kills a federal agent, have led viewers to associate them with corruption that never occurred. They claim friends, colleagues and even family members questioned their integrity after watching the film.
The lawsuit accuses Artists Equity and the film’s production entity of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, seeking damages and a public correction. The officers are also pushing for a prominent disclaimer to be added to the movie.
Representatives for Affleck and Damon have not publicly responded, while Netflix, which is not named in the suit, declined to comment. The case adds to ongoing debate about how far “inspired by true events” storytelling can go before crossing legal lines.
