Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are at the center of a lawsuit over their new Netflix film, The Rip.
Two officers from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, allege that a case they worked on inspired the film. Notably, The Rip opens with text claiming it was “inspired by true events.” However, Smith and Santana argue that beyond “the fact that a large seizure occurred, the events portrayed in the film did not happen.”
The Case Allegedly Behind The Rip
The Rip was co-written by director Joe Carnahan and Michael McGrale. Its story centers on Damon and Affleck’s characters uncovering massive corruption within the Miami-Dade Police Department after the discovery of $20 million in cartel cash. The lawsuit alleges that The Rip was based on a 2016 investigation involving Smith and Santana, during which more than $21 million was seized.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in The Rip – Netflix YouTube
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In their complaint, Smith and Santana claim that the film has caused “substantial harm to their personal and professional reputations.” According to the filing obtained by Entertainment Weekly, they contend that The Rip and its advertising “imply misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law enforcement operation.”
Since the film’s release, Smith and Santana claim that family members and colleagues believe they “must have used seized funds to complete personal property improvements, purchase vehicles and vessels, and afford private schooling for their children.”
The allegations have also drawn renewed attention online to the film’s marketing and its “inspired by true events” framing.
Officers Accuse Filmmakers of Defamation
Netflix is not named in the lawsuit, which was filed against Artists Equity and Affleck and Damon’s production company, Falco Productions LLC. The officers claim defamation per se and defamation by implication. They also filed a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Matt Damon in The Rip – Netflix, YouTube
The lawsuit states that in December 2025, the officers filed a “cease and desist from releasing” The Rip. They allege they received no response until after the film’s release. Attorneys for the officers claim the defendants later argued 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.”
Entertainment Weekly reports that representatives for Affleck, Damon, and Artists Equity have not responded for comment. Netflix has declined to comment.
A Legal Fight Over “Inspired by True Events”
Whether Smith and Santana’s argument has legal merit 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” is now a matter for the court.
Ben Affleck in The Rip – Netflix, YouTube
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Taken together, the dispute highlights the risks filmmakers take when telling stories “inspired by actual events.” Smith and Santana’s lawyers are demanding “a public retraction and correction” and “the addition of a prominent disclaimer” attached to the film. They are also seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
The lawsuit may hinge on whether a judge believes audiences could reasonably connect the fictionalized officers in The Rip to Smith and Santana. The case could also be settled out of court before reaching a final ruling. Regardless of the outcome, the dispute underscores the increasingly blurred line between dramatized entertainment and real-world events, especially when films draw heavily from recognizable investigations and public law enforcement operations.
What do you think of the lawsuit over The Rip? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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