Two officers in the department are suing the duo for defamation.

Ben Affleck spoke about working with Miami cops on *The Rip *months before lawsuit

Two officers in the department are suing the duo for defamation.

By Mike Miller

Mike Miller

Mike Miller is the executive editor on the movies team at . He previously worked as a writer-reporter for PEOPLE and TMZ.

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May 11, 2026 3:57 p.m. ET

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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in 'The Rip'. Credit:

Claire Folger/Netflix

- Two Miami police officers are suing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for defamation due to the depiction of law enforcement in the actors' Netflix crime movie, *The Rip*.

- Ahead of the film's Jan. 16 release, Affleck and Damon spoke with EW about working with members of the same department to support their research.

- Affleck praised the officers' generosity and noted that some of them ended up appearing in the film.

In the days leading up to its release, *The Rip** *stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon spoke glowingly about working with the same Miami police department that employs the two officers now suing them.

During an interview with * *ahead of the film's Jan. 16 release on Netflix, Affleck raved about his experience shadowing real-life cops from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Department to prepare for his role as a narcotics detective who discovers $20 million hidden in the walls of a stash house.

"All the stuff that I find surprising and that I tend to be proud of comes from research," Affleck said, sitting beside Damon for the interview. "Like, I think I'm better skilled at recognizing interesting things from the world to put into films than just conjuring up from my imagination something to do. And so I really benefit from it."

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in 'The Rip'.

Claire Folger/Netflix

The *Gone Girl *star also noted that some of those officers actually ended up appearing in *The Rip*. "Not only were they generous enough to share their time with us, but they also came up and populated the movie in small ways," he explained. "A lot of the men and women were at the premiere last night. So really gratifying, kind of a full circle [moment] because they contributed a lot."

Putting himself in their shoes, Affleck reflected, "All of us are there just madly stealing all their life's details and quirks and wardrobe habits. It's gotta be a weird feeling when a bunch of actors descend on you and be like, 'What kind of glasses are those? Where did you get that shirt?' You know?"

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Months later, Affleck and Damon are now accused of defaming two officers from the department who allegedly inspired the events depicted in the film. Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana of the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office are suing the actors' company, Artists Equity, as well as Falco Pictures, over the depiction of law enforcement characters in the crime drama.

Though neither officer is mentioned by name in the film, their lawsuit claims they are so heavily associated with Damon and Affleck's characters that their portrayal has caused "substantial harm to their personal and professional reputations" because the movie and its advertisements "imply misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law enforcement operation."

The officers' complaint, obtained and reviewed by EW, accuses Artists Equity and Affleck and Damon's LLC production company, Falco Productions, of defamation per se and defamation by implication. The officers have also brought a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in 'The Rip'.

Claire Folger/Netflix

Representatives for Affleck, Damon, and Artists Equity did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

The complaint claims that the case that inspired the film was a real-life incident in which Smith and Santana seized more than $21 million in June 2016. As a result, the plaintiffs allege 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."

While the film opens with text that says the project was "inspired by true events," Smith and Santana also allege that aside from "the fact that a large seizure occurred, the events portrayed in the film did not happen."

Furthermore, the complaint claims that Smith and Santana's lawyers sent a letter to the companies behind the film, enumerating the allegedly defamatory details in the movie and demanding that they "cease and desist from releasing" it in December 2025.

Ben Affleck, Teyana Taylor, Steven Yeun, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Matt Damon, and Sasha Calle in 'The Rip'.

Courtesy of Netflix

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The plaintiffs' attorneys allege the defendants responded to their inquiry after the film was released by saying 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."

Smith and Santana's lawyers demand "a public retraction and correction," including "the addition of a prominent disclaimer" to the movie.

The two officers are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys' fees.

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Source: “EW Crime”