Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are now embroiled in legal drama because of their thriller film, The Rip. In the film the actor duo play Miami officers, Matt plays Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Ben plays J.D. Byrne.
Real-life officers from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana have filed a lawsuit against Artists Equity, owned by the actors, for inaccurate depiction.
Miami officers, Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana have alleged inaccurate depiction of law-enforcement officers. They have filed a defamation suit agaisnt Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's Artists Equity for the portrayal of Miami cops in the movie, The Rip.
Ben and Matt's characters have been allegedly based on Jason and Jonathan who have accused the actors of harming their reputation through their portrayal of cops in the movie.
According to the lawsuit, the Joe Carnahan directed movie implies "misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behaviour in connection with a real law enforcement operation."
Besides Artists Equity, Ben and Matt's LLC production company Falco Productions have also been named in the suit for defamation. The complainants have alleged emotional suffering done intentionally through the film.
The Rip follows Lt. Dane Dumars and Detective Sgt. J.D. Byrne as they navigate through corruption inside the Miami-Dade Police Department after coming across $20 million worth of cartel cash.
The movie was inspired by a case where Jason and Jonathan had seized over $21 million back in June 2016. The officers have stated that the film lacked details of the investigation and the character traits falsely depict the officers.
The actor's representatives have not made a comment yet. Lawyers of Jason and Jonathan have demanded "public retraction and correction" and adding a "prominent disclaimer".
The Rip released back in January 16, 2026.
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