Damon & Affleck sued over "dirty cop" Netflix movie

Two Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputies, Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith, have filed a lawsuit against actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, along with their production company Artists Equity. The deputies allege that the Netflix film "The Rip" negatively portrays them, making them appear as "dirty cops." The movie is a dramatization of a 2016 drug bust in Miami Lakes, where law enforcement recovered $24 million in cash, which was the largest haul at the time for the department.

The lawsuit contends that the film, which dramatizes the bust and the temptations involved with such a large sum of money, has caused "substantial harm to their personal and professional reputations." Santana stated the film's title implies theft, which they deny. The production company's representatives have denied the allegations, asserting that the film uses fictional names, settings, and storylines, and includes a disclaimer that it is dramatized and not meant to portray real people.

This is not the first controversy surrounding "The Rip." The mayor of Hialeah previously criticized the film for misplacing the raid's setting. Legal experts note that while the deputies are not named in the movie, defamation can still be pursued if fictional characters are closely aligned with real individuals. Netflix, though not sued in this instance, previously settled a defamation case regarding "The Queen's Gambit."