Two sheriff’s deputies have filed a lawsuit against Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, claiming that their portrayal in the Netflix crime drama The Rip has caused “substantial harm” to their reputations by depicting them as “dirty cops.”

Miami-Dade county officers Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith are seeking defamation damages from the actors’ production company, Artists Equity. In a legal filing submitted this week, the officers allege that the film, which blends fictionalized elements with real-life events, leans too heavily into their personal experiences without proper authorization or accuracy.

The Controversy Behind ‘The Rip’

The Rip was written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The narrative draws inspiration from the account of Miami-Dade County Police Captain Chris Casiano, a longtime friend of the director. Carnahan previously described the film to Netflix’s Tudum as a project born from “deeply personal experience” and an “enduring love for those classic ‘70s cop thrillers.”

The film centers on a narcotics team in Miami that discovers millions in cash hidden inside a drug cartel stash house during a raid, triggering a spiral of suspicion and paranoia. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Santana and Smith argue that specific drug busts in South Florida from 2016 were recreated in the film in a manner that unfairly labels them as corrupt. The officers contend that this depiction has caused them significant professional and personal damage.

Legal Claims and Production Response

While the lawsuit does not specify a dollar amount, the plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and a public retraction. The officers emphasize that they were the primary figures in the 2016 operation, which involved the discovery of over $21 million in cash hidden in 24 orange buckets within an attic.

“When you rip something, you’re stealing something,” Santana told 7 News Miami. “We never stole a dollar.” He noted that since the film’s release, colleagues have questioned him regarding the theft depicted on screen.

The lawsuit further alleges that Artists Equity should have engaged the actual officers as consultants. Instead, the production company listed Captain Chris Casiano as a technical advisor, despite the plaintiffs’ claim that he was not involved in the initial investigation. In response, Artists Equity legal representative Leita Walker stated that the film does not purport to tell the literal true story of the 2016 bust, a fact explicitly noted in the film’s credits disclaimer.