In a surprising development, two Miami-Dade lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s production company, Artists Equity, in connection with the new Netflix film “The Rip.” The officers assert that the film wrongly portrays them as corrupt figures following a drug bust they were involved in in 2016, which led to reputational damage.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith have filed a lawsuit against Artists Equity, the production company founded by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, over the Netflix movie The Rip.
Deputies claim the film, inspired by a 2016 drug bust in South Florida, damaged their reputation by making viewers believe real officers stole money from the case. Santana says the accusations began after the movie dropped in January.
“The Rip” lawsuit against artists’ rights
According to TMZ, the lawsuit has been filed against Damon and Affleck’s production company, Artists Equity. NBC 7News quoted comments from Santana, who said: “When you tear something up, you steal something.
“We never stole a dollar.”Santana and Smith reportedly helped solve a drug case in the Miami Lakes area in 2016. The bust resulted in the seizure of more than US$20 million. The lawsuit says the Netflix film used the real case as inspiration but unfairly harmed the officers involved.Deputies claim that the movie “The Rip” presents officers in a way that makes them appear corrupt. Santana said he has faced charges of stealing money since the film arrived on Netflix in January.
Miami-Dade deputies claim damage to reputation
Ignacio Alvarez, Santana’s lawyer, said the film damaged his client’s name. “They portrayed police officers as dirty, and they portrayed my clients as dirty,” he told NBC 7News.The lawsuit also says Santana and Smith should have been paid as consultants because of their connection to the original case. The lawsuit alleges that the producers instead used another police officer as a consultant, even though that officer did not work on the bust.Deputies say the decision increased the damage. They argue that the film draws from their case but leaves them out of the process. They also claim that the production failed to protect their reputation while telling a story inspired by their work.The Rip, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, is a story of drug trafficking in South Florida. The lawsuit now puts the film’s real-life inspiration at the center of a legal battle.Artists Equity was sued over allegations that the film unfairly portrayed real Miami-Dade officers as frauds and caused lasting damage to their public image.