Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Being Sued by Florida Police Sergeants for False Portrayals in ‘The Rip’

Filmmaker buddies Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are being sued by Florida police sergeants Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, who claim the duo’s 2026 movie The Rip falsely portrays them as corrupt cops. The federal lawsuit brought by the two Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office lawmen names Artists Equity, a production company founded by the Tinseltown titans, as well as Falco Pictures, which helped produce the flick, according to a new report.

The Rip was billed as being inspired by “true events,” which reportedly include the real-life 2016 police raid of a home in Miami Lakes that was linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker, in which $21.9 million was discovered in five-gallon buckets, Fox News Digital reported.

In the movie, which Netflix released in January, Ben and Matt play officers in the Miami-Dade Police Department who find millions in cartel cash.

However, the suit — recently filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida — claims the core plot about members of the fictional narcotics unit facing suspicion for allegedly stealing some of the dough is fabricated.

The filing explains the real raid was supervised by Smith and executed by Santana. It also maintains that while the two are not named in the movie, “distinctive elements” of the actual investigation were incorporated, giving viewers the false suggestion that they may have been involved in wrongdoing and thereby harming Smith and Santana’s personal and professional reps.

“The Film and its promotional content imply misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law-enforcement operation,” the lawsuit states. “As a result, Plaintiffs have suffered damage to their reputations, diminished standing among peers and colleagues, and injury to their credibility in law-enforcement and professional circles.”

According to NBC Miami, the filing also gripes the filmmakers refused to issue a public retraction or implement “corrective measures.” It alleges they argued the storyline has numerous discrepancies in comparison with the actual raid and that the movie features other fictional plotlines.

Attorneys representing Falco and Artists Equity denied the allegations in a March response letter included with the complaint. The response argued the film used fictional names, settings and storylines and said the movie’s disclaimer made clear the story was dramatized and not intended to portray real people.