Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Sued for 'The Rip' by Miami Police Officers
variety.com • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Two Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officers, Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, have sued Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company Artists Equity over the Netflix crime drama "The Rip," alleging it harmed their personal and professional reputations.
- The officers claim the film, inspired by a real 2016 drug seizure case involving over $21 million, implies misconduct and unethical behavior by characters resembling them, despite them not being named in the movie.
- The lawsuit points to specific non-generic details and the Miami-Dade setting as evidence that the characters played by Affleck and Damon are based on Smith and Santana.
- Smith and Santana seek a public retraction, a prominent disclaimer on the film, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorney fees, while Artists Equity has denied any implication of misconduct by the plaintiffs.