Miami-Dade Officers Sue Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Over Netflix Film “The Rip”

In June 2016 a narcotics team from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office executed a raid on a private residence in Miami Lakes. Officers uncovered cash hidden in five-gallon buckets, with reported totals ranging from $20 million to $24 million, marking one of the department’s largest cash seizures. The incident later served as the inspiration for the Netflix crime drama *The Rip*.

The Guardian

• Plaintiffs: Sergeants Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Police1

• Defendants: Artists Equity, LLC (production company founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), Falco Pictures, LLC (co-producer). Netflix is not named as a defendant.

Florida Politics

• Legal representation: Plaintiffs are represented by attorney Ignacio Alvarez; Artists Equity is represented by attorney Leita Walker.

UsNews and World Report

The complaint alleges defamation per se, defamation by implication, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It asserts that the film’s “distinctive elements” – including the Miami-Dade setting, the narcotics-unit backdrop, and plot points such as officers conspiring to steal seized money and murdering a supervising officer – create a “reasonable inference” that the fictional characters are based on Santana and Smith. The suit seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and a public retraction with a more prominent disclaimer attached to the film.

Florida Politics

Artists Equity’s response, conveyed in a March 19 letter, emphasizes that the film “does not purport to tell the true story of that incident” and that a disclaimer in the credits clarifies the fictionalization. The letter also notes factual discrepancies: the on-screen raid occurs in Hialeah rather than Miami Lakes, the property owner is depicted as a woman, and the storyline involving corrupt officers and a murdered police captain is fictional.

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Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo publicly condemned the film, calling it “a slap in the face of our law-enforcement personnel” and suggesting the depiction harms the city’s reputation. Legal analyst Lloyd Jassin warned that defamation actions are difficult when plaintiffs are not named, stating that “the description of the fictional character must be so closely aligned with a real person that someone who knows that person would have no difficulty linking the two.” The plaintiffs’ attorney Alvarez argued that the officers should have been compensated as consultants, noting that another officer involved in the case received payment.

The Guardian

• “When you rip something, you’re stealing something. We never stole a dollar,” — Jonathan Santana, Miami-Dade Deputy

Police1

• “They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty,” — Ignacio Alvarez, Attorney for Plaintiffs

The Guardian

• “This movie is a slap in the face of our law enforcement personnel,” — Bryan Calvo, Mayor of Hialeah

The Guardian

• “The description of the fictional character must be so closely aligned with a real person that someone who knows that person would have no difficulty linking the two,” — Lloyd Jassin, Publishing Attorney

The Guardian

Sources differ on the seized amount ($20 million, $21 million, or $24 million) and on the raid’s location (Miami Lakes vs. Hialeah). The film’s disclaimer appears only after the credits, whereas plaintiffs argue it should be more prominent. The lawsuit does not identify which specific film character corresponds to each officer, a point highlighted by the defendants.

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The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on 6 May 2026. Both parties have exchanged initial pleadings; a scheduling order is expected within weeks, setting timelines for discovery and potential settlement discussions.

The Guardian