Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are being sued by Miami police officers over their Netflix film, “The Rip.”
The crime thriller, which was released in January, stars Damon and Affleck as police officers in the Miami-Dade Police Department narcotics unit. It’s inspired by the true story of the 2016 Miami Lakes narcotics raid, which became the largest money seizure in Miami-Dade history after police seized more than $24 million in cash.
Multiple police officers involved in the 2016 raid are now suing Affleck and Damon through their production company, Artists Equity, according to 7 News Miami. Officers claim the film unfairly damages the reputation of the officers who were involved in the 2016 raid through its negative depiction of them.
Jonathan Santana, a deputy for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, told the outlet, “When you rip something, you’re stealing something. We never stole a dollar.”
He also said that he now gets teased after the film’s release, with people accusing him of stealing.
“Pretty much saying, you know, how many buckets of money did I steal?” he said.
Santana’s attorney, Ignacio Alvarez, also told the outlet, “They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty. Now their reputations are hurt.”
He added, “My clients are now hurt for the rest of their lives with everybody [perceiving] that they’re dirty.”
This isn’t the first time “The Rip” — which also stars Steven Yeun and Kyle Chandler — has ruffled feathers.
The movie was filmed primarily in Hilaleah, Florida, and Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo blasted the film in January, claiming that it falsely portrayed the city as unsafe.
“This movie is a slap in the face to our law enforcement personnel,” he said, per 7 News Miami. “If you have never been to Hialeah, if you live somewhere else in this country and you see this film, I wouldn’t want to come here, and that’s a problem.”
“The real story that we saw depicted in the movie ‘Rip’ took place in Miami Lakes,” he added.
