Ben Affleck and Matt Damon currently find themselves embroiled in a legal situation linked to one of their more recent films, The Rip. As part of a defamation lawsuit filed by two police officers, Damon and Affleck’s production company, Artists Equity, is being sued for its portrayal of law enforcement officials. Neither the actors nor their company have formally addressed the suit, as of this writing. All the while, though, resurfaced comments that Affleck made about working with cops ahead of the film’s release have resurfaced.
The two officers at the center of this case – Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana – are members of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Department, and Affleck apparently shadowed cops with the organization while prepping for the film. In the aftermath of the lawsuit, Entertainment Weekly shared quotes from an interview it did with Affleck that was shared earlier this year. Based on the comments the Oscar winner shared with EW at the time, he was ecstatic to be collaborating with the cops and to have some appear in the film:
Not only were they generous enough to share their time with us, but they also came up and populated the movie in small ways. A lot of the men and women were at the premiere last night. So really gratifying, kind of a full circle [moment] because they contributed a lot.
Directed by Joe Carnahan, The Rip centers on a group of Florida narcotics detectives, who come into conflict with each other after discovering $20 million during a raid. The result is a movie filled with a ton of twists and Carnahan’s signature action sensibilities. What should be mentioned is that while the characters work for Miami-Dade, there are no real names of actual cops used in the film. Despite that, Affleck also previously explained just how much work he and his collaborators were doing to channel to those real-life civil servants:
All of us are there just madly stealing all their life’s details and quirks and wardrobe habits. It’s gotta be a weird feeling when a bunch of actors descend on you and be like, ‘What kind of glasses are those? Where did you get that shirt?’ You know?
Santana and Smith are now accusing The Rip and its promotional campaign of suggesting “misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in connection with a real law enforcement operation.” And, although the film is touted as being “inspired by a true story,” the two officers allege that other than “the fact that a large seizure occurred, the events portrayed in the film did not happen.” Smith and Santos also claimed they sent a legal request in December 2025 to ask that the film not be released as it was. The pair alleged that the defendants responded and argued that their concerns were “unfounded.”
In addition to Artists Equity, Falco Productions has also been named a defendant in the suit. Netflix – which is the distributor of the film – has not been included in the legal filing. Santana and Smith are currently seeking punitive and compensatory damages as well as legal fees. Additionally, they want a “public retraction and correction” and a “prominent disclaimer” to be added to the movie.
The Rip garnered buzz following its release as part of the 2026 movie schedule on January 16, and critics also shared mostly positive reviews on Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s movie. As far as the legal situation goes, it’s unclear as to when further developments on the case might arise. In the meantime, the Damon and Affleck-fronted flick remains available to stream with a Netflix subscription.
