Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity Faces Lawsuit Over The Rip

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, Artists Equity, is currently facing a lawsuit for defamation from two law enforcement officials in Miami, who inspired the narrative for their film The Rip.

A report from Entertainment Weekly, published on Saturday, May 9, reveals that Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, officers from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, have filed a lawsuit against the actors’ production company regarding their portrayals in the Netflix film, released on January 16.

Although Smith and Santana are not specifically named in the film, the lawsuit claims that the performances by Affleck, 53, and Damon, 55, were “so closely linked to the two officers” that it has inflicted “significant damage to their personal and professional reputations.”

Us Weekly has reached out to Artists Equity and representatives for Affleck and Damon for their response.

The lawsuit reportedly seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney fees, alleging that the film and its promotional materials suggest “misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior related to a real law enforcement operation.”

The lawsuit also charges “Damon’s LLC production company Falco Productions with defamation per se and defamation by implication” and includes claims for “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Damon and Affleck take on the roles of Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Detective Sergeant JD Byrne, respectively, in The Rip. The film follows their discovery of $20 million in cartel money and the subsequent corruption they uncover within the Miami-Dade Police Department. This storyline is based on the real-life events involving Miami police officer Chris Casiano, who led the department’s Tactical Narcotics Team in 2016 when the cash stash was found.

According to the report, Smith and Santana’s lawsuit notes that the pair “seized over $21 million in June 2016” as part of this event. They argue that the film’s incorporation of unique, specific details related to the June 29, 2016, investigation, alongside its Miami-Dade backdrop and depiction of a narcotics team, reasonably implies that the officers portrayed are the Plaintiffs.

The lawsuit also indicates that Smith and Santana’s legal representatives sent a letter to the film’s production companies “outlining the allegedly defamatory elements in the movie and demanding a cease and desist regarding its release in December 2025.”

A representative from the companies allegedly stated, after the film’s release, that concerns raised were “unfounded, as the film did not explicitly name Sergeant Smith nor implicate the Plaintiffs in any misconduct.”