Miami-Dade officers sue Artists Equity over reputation damage from ‘The Rip’

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith have sued Artists Equity, the production company founded by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, over the Netflix film 'The Rip.' The deputies claim the movie, which was inspired by a 2016 South Florida drug bust, damaged their reputations by making viewers think real officers stole money from the case. Santana says the accusations began after the film dropped in January.According to TMZ, the lawsuit was filed against Damon and Affleck’s production company, Artists Equity. NBC 7News reported comments from Santana, who said, “When you rip something, you’re stealing something. We never stole a dollar.”Santana and Smith reportedly helped crack the Miami Lakes drug case in 2016. The bust led to the seizure of more than USD 20 million. The lawsuit says the Netflix film used the real case as inspiration but unfairly harmed the officers involved.The deputies claim 'The Rip' presents officers in a way that makes them look corrupt. Santana said he has faced accusations of stealing money since the movie arrived on Netflix in January.Santana’s lawyer, Ignacio Alvarez, said the film harmed his client’s name. He told NBC 7News, “They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty.”The lawsuit also argues that Santana and Smith should have been paid as consultants because of their connection to the original case. The suit claims the producers instead used another police officer as a consultant, even though that officer allegedly did not work on the bust.The deputies say that the decision added to the harm. They argue that the movie drew from their case but left them out of the process. They also claim the production failed to protect their reputations while telling a story inspired by their work.'The Rip' stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and is tied to a South Florida drug bust story. The lawsuit now puts the film’s real-life inspiration at the center of a legal fight.Artists Equity has been sued over claims that the movie unfairly painted real Miami-Dade officers as crooked and caused lasting damage to their public image.