Two Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies have filed a lawsuit against Artists Equity, the production company founded by actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, alleging that the Netflix film "The Rip" damaged their professional reputations by portraying them as corrupt law enforcement officers.
The lawsuit centers on the January 2026 release of "The Rip," a film inspired by a 2016 drug bust in Miami Lakes that resulted in the seizure of over $20 million. Deputies Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith, who reportedly cracked the case, claim the film unfairly depicts the officers involved as dishonest and engaged in theft.
"When you rip something, you're stealing something. We never stole a dollar," Santana told NBC 7News, addressing the film's title and its implications about the officers' conduct during the investigation.
According to Santana, he has faced accusations of stealing money ever since the film's release. The lawsuit alleges that the production portrayed the deputies as crooked officers, fundamentally misrepresenting their work on the high-profile drug case.
Ignacio Alvarez, the attorney representing the deputies, emphasized the harm caused by the film's portrayal. "They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty," Alvarez stated, arguing that the characterization has caused significant reputational damage to his clients.
The lawsuit also raises concerns about the production process itself. According to the filing, Smith and Santana should have been compensated as consultants on the movie, given that the film was based on their actual case work. Instead, the suit alleges that producers brought on a different officer who did not even work on the 2016 bust, bypassing the deputies who were directly involved in the investigation.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between Hollywood productions and the real-life individuals whose stories inspire dramatic adaptations. While filmmakers often take creative license when adapting true events, this lawsuit argues that such liberties crossed a line, causing tangible harm to the professional standing of law enforcement officers who successfully executed a major drug operation.
Artists Equity, the production company named in the suit, has not yet publicly responded to the allegations. The lawsuit seeks damages for the reputational harm allegedly caused by the film's portrayal of the Miami-Dade deputies.