matt-damon-ben-affleck-face-defamation-lawsuit

Hollywood heavyweights Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are in legal trouble.

 

Artists Equity, the production company of the long-time friends and actors, is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by two Miami-Dade police officers over the film “The Rip”.

 

The film, directed by Joe Carnahan, is based on a story connected to a real Miami drug case from 2016.

 

The lawsuit claims the Netflix action thriller distorts the officers' real-life drug investigation to depict them as corrupt. According to the officers, this damaging "dirty cop" portrayal has severely harmed their professional reputations and disrupted their personal lives.

 

The movie follows a group of Miami narcotics officers who discover millions of dollars hidden inside a drug cartel stash house. As greed and suspicion grow within the team, their relationships begin to fall apart.

 

The lawsuit was filed on May 7 by Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputies Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith. Santana was the lead detective in the real-life case, while Smith supervised the investigation team.

 

Also read: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon bag bonus deal for ‘The Rip’

 

While speaking to a Miami-based news broadcast, Santana said, "When you rip something, you're stealing something. We never stole a dollar."

 

He also shared that after the release of the film, people started questioning him about the money shown in the movie. Santana said colleagues asked him things like, "How many buckets of money did you steal?"

 

The lawsuit, as per reports, alleges that the officers were not consulted or compensated while making the film. Instead, the production team reportedly worked with Miami-Dade County Police Captain Chris Casiano, who is listed as a technical advisor on the movie.

 

The lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees, along with a public correction and retraction. However, the filing does not mention a specific amount.

 

Artists Equity's lawyer, Leita Walker, reportedly responded earlier by saying the film does not claim to tell the exact true story of the 2016 Miami drug bust or portray real-life individuals. The response also pointed to a disclaimer shown in the film's credits.

 

“The Rip” was released on Netflix earlier this year and received a positive response from viewers.