Matt Damon and Ben Affleck sued by Miami police officers over Netflix film: 'Slap in the face'

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are being sued for defamation by Miami police officers over their Netflix film The Rip.

Damon and Affleck play officers in the January 2026 film, which is inspired by the true story of the 2016 Miami Lakes narcotics raid, a drug bust that uncovered nearly $22 million in hidden cash.

Watch the video above.

The real-life Miami-Dade narcotics officers Jonathon Santana and Jason Smith claim The Rip unfairly damages their reputation by falsely portraying them as corrupt police officers, according to 7 News Miami.

The officers allege the Netflix thriller, which was marketed as "inspired by true events," borrowed heavily from their case while depicting officers engaged in theft, cartel dealings and murder.

Santana, a deputy for the Miami-Dade Sheriff's office told the outlet: "When you rip something, you're stealing something. We never stole a dollar."

The complaint names Artists Equity, a production company founded by Damon and Affleck, along with co-producer Falco Pictures.

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The officers are seeking unspecified damages for defamation, defamation by implication and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

According to the lawsuit, Santana and Smith say people who knew about the investigation easily connected them to the fictional characters in the film. 

Santana said while he used to be celebrated for being one of the two officers credited with solving the Miami Lakes drug case, he's now teased for his involvement.

"Pretty much saying, you know, how many buckets of money did I steal?" he said.

Santana's attorney, Ignacio Alvarez told the publication: "They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty. Now their reputations are hurt."

"My clients are now hurt for the rest of their lives with everybody [perceiving] that they're dirty."

The Miami officers aren't the only ones upset over the portrayal in The Rip.

The film was shot mostly in Hialeah, Florida.

In January 2026, Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo told 7 News Miami the film was "a slap in the face to our law enforcement personnel".

"If you have never been to Hialeah, if you live somewhere else in this country and you see this film, I wouldn't want to come here, and that's a problem."

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