Miami cops sue Ben Affleck, Matt Damon for causing reputations 'substantial harm' over Netflix film 'The Rip'

Two police officers in the Miami-Dade Sheriff's office have filed a lawsuit against Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company over “The Rip,” a Netflix crime drama that launched in January and was directed by Joe Carnahan.   

The two police officers, Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, alleged that the movie from Damon and Affleck’s production company Artists Equity caused them “substantial harm to their personal and professional reputations,” per the lawsuit obtained by Entertainment Weekly, because the movie allegedly implied "misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law enforcement operation."

Although the two officers were not mentioned by name in the film, the lawsuit accuses the production company of defamation. The two officers have also claimed that the production company caused intentional emotional distress.

The Rip chronicles the discovery of corruption in the Miami-Dade Police Department in connection with $20 million in cartel cash that involves Lt. Dane Dumars, played by Damon, and Detective Sgt. J.D. Byrne, played by Affleck.

The complaint from the officers claims that the case that served as inspiration for the film involved Santana and Smith when they seized over $21 million in June 2016. The plaintiffs alleged in the suit that "the film's use of unique, non-generic details of the June 29, 2016, investigation, combined with its Miami-Dade setting and portrayal of a narcotics team, creates a reasonable inference that the officers depicted are Plaintiffs."

The complaint accuses the film of portraying them in a corrupt light, not abiding by the procedures of police work. In one scene, Affleck’s character kills a Drug Enforcement Administration agent. The film opens with the text that states “inspired by true events,” but the plaintiffs wrote in the filing that aside from “the fact that a large seizure occurred, the events portrayed in the film did not happen."

Smith, as well as Santana, said that others have told the plaintiffs that they "must have used seized funds to complete personal property improvements, purchase vehicles and vessels, and afford private schooling for their children" because of the movie.