Matt Damon and Ben Affleck sued by Miami cops over The Rip

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are being sued for defamation by two Miami police officers over their recent movie The Rip.

Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, officers in the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, have filed a lawsuit against the duo's companies, Artists Equity and Falco Productions, for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

The crime thriller, which was released on Netflix in January, follows Damon and Affleck's characters, Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D. Byrne, and their task force team as they find $20 million (£15 million) in a cartel's stash house and uncover corruption in their department.

Although Smith and Santana are not mentioned by name, they believe the lead characters are so clearly inspired by them that it has caused "substantial harm to their personal and professional reputations" because the movie and its marketing "imply misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behaviour in connection with a real law enforcement operation".

According to Entertainment Weekly, the officers note that the film features the opening line "inspired by true events", even though the events in the film "did not happen" beyond the cash, which they seized in June 2016.

"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," they added. "Viewers are associating the Miami-Dade Police Department and Plaintiffs with the corrupt portrayals in The Rip."

The Floridian officers reportedly issued a cease and desist letter to the actors' companies in December 2025, and they responded after The Rip's January release, arguing that the concerns were "unfounded" as they didn't name them or imply that they engaged in misconduct.

They are seeking "a public retraction and correction", "a prominent disclaimer" in the movie, as well as damages and legal fees.

The Rip, also starring Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor and Kyle Chandler, is currently streaming on Netflix.