{"id":332989,"date":"2026-05-11T19:07:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=332989"},"modified":"2026-05-11T19:07:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:37:53","slug":"ben-affleck-and-matt-damons-artists-equity-sued-for-the-rip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/ben-affleck-and-matt-damons-artists-equity-sued-for-the-rip\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Affleck and Matt Damon\u2019s Artists Equity Sued for The Rip"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Ben Affleck<\/strong> and Matt Damon<\/strong>\u2019s company Artists Equity is the topic of a lawsuit alleging defamation against two Miami law enforcement officials who inspired the film The Rip<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In response to a report by Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a>, published on Saturday, May 9, Jason Smith<\/strong> and Jonathan Santana<\/strong>, two cops from the Miami-Dade Sheriff\u2019s Office, are suing the actors\u2019 production company over their depictions within the Netflix movie, created by Artists Equity and released on January 16.<\/p>\n

Because the outlet identified, Smith and Santana aren’t mentioned by name within the film, however the lawsuit alleges that performances by Affleck, 53, and Damon, 55, were \u201cso heavily related to the 2 officers\u201d that the film caused \u201csubstantial harm to their personal and skilled reputations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Us Weekly<\/em> has reached out to Artists Equity and representatives for Affleck and Damon for comment.<\/p>\n

EW<\/em> reported that the lawsuit \u2014 which seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney fees \u2014 can also be the results of the film and its advertisements implying \u201cmisconduct, poor judgment and unethical behavior in reference to an actual law enforcement operation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawsuit reportedly accuses \u201cDamon\u2019s LLC production company Falco Productions of defamation per se and defamation by implication.\u201d The officers also claimed \u201cintentional infliction of emotional distress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Damon and Affleck starred as Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Detective Sergeant JD Byrne, respectively, in The Rip<\/em>. The film followed their journey after discovering $20 million of cartel money and subsequently unearthing corruption throughout the Miami-Dade Police Department. As widely reported across the project\u2019s release, the plot is predicated on the true story of Miami police officer Chris Casiano<\/strong>, who served as the pinnacle of the department\u2019s Tactical Narcotics Team in 2016 when a money stash was uncovered.<\/p>\n

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