Biggest Movie Lawsuits: The Rip, It Ends with Us, and More

The biggest movie lawsuits of 2026 include a defamation suit filed by two Miami-Dade officers against Ben Affleck and Matt Damon over the Netflix film The Rip, the settlement of the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni fight over It Ends with Us, a copyright case against the horror film Together that survived dismissal, multi-front legal challenges to the $111 billion Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and a musicians’ union suit against Universal and Warner over AI licensing deals. Several other verdicts and filings have shaped the year, from a jury’s rejection of a $29 million insurance claim tied to Kevin Spacey to a $13 million wrongful death verdict for the family of Nichelle Nichols.

Miami Officers Sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Over “The Rip”

Two Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office members, Sergeant Jason Smith and Detective Jonathan Santana, sued Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and their production company Artists Equity in May 2026 over the Netflix crime drama The Rip, released January 16, 2026. They allege the film borrows so heavily from a real narcotics operation they ran in 2016 that viewers assume they are the corrupt cops on screen.¹

The film, directed by Joe Carnahan, was marketed as “inspired by true events” and is rooted in a June 29, 2016, raid on a Miami Lakes home where officers seized more than $21 million linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker, the largest cash seizure in Miami-Dade history at the time. Santana was the lead detective on that case; Smith was the supervising sergeant.²

The complaint, filed May 6, 2026, in the Southern District of Florida, brings three counts: defamation per se, defamation by implication, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.³ Although Smith and Santana are not named in the film, they argue that its “unique, non-generic details” — the Miami-Dade setting, the narcotics-team structure, the scale of the seizure — create a reasonable inference that the fictional characters are based on them.⁴ The film depicts characters conspiring to steal seized drug money, communicating with cartel members, committing arson, and killing a federal agent, none of which, the officers say, actually happened.⁵

Artists Equity’s counsel countered that the film “does not purport to tell the true story of that incident or portray real people,” pointed to a disclaimer in the end credits, and said the officers had not identified which specific character was supposedly based on them.⁵

The suit was short-lived in its original form. Plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on May 15, 2026, and the case was closed on May 18, 2026.⁶ The dismissal was without prejudice, meaning the officers can refile.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Settle “It Ends with Us” Litigation

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled their consolidated lawsuits over the 2024 film It Ends with Us on May 4, 2026, roughly two weeks before a jury trial was set to begin before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York.⁷ Financial terms were not disclosed. Reporting indicated Lively received no direct financial compensation.⁸

By the time of settlement, both sides had already lost significant ground. In June 2025, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation and extortion countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane, ruling the conduct Lively was accused of amounted to “legally permissible hard bargaining” rather than civil extortion under California law. Baldoni chose not to amend, and final judgment closed the countersuit on October 31, 2025.⁹ In April 2026, Judge Liman dismissed the majority of Lively’s claims, including her sexual harassment allegations, on the grounds that she was an independent contractor rather than an employee. Her retaliation and smear-campaign claims went forward.¹⁰

On June 12, 2026, Judge Liman issued a 47-page order granting Lively’s request for legal fees related to her defense against Baldoni’s dismissed defamation claims. The judge found that her case met the criteria of a California law meant to prevent defamation suits from being weaponized against people who report sexual misconduct, and that her complaints were made “without malice.” He denied her request for additional financial penalties. The dollar amount of the fee award has not been set.⁸

“Together” Copyright Case Heads to Discovery

A copyright infringement lawsuit alleging that the body-horror film Together, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was copied from an earlier independent film called Better Half survived a motion to dismiss in February 2026 and is now in discovery. StudioFest LLC, the company behind Better Half (2023), filed the suit in May 2025 in Los Angeles federal court, naming Franco, Brie, writer-director Michael Shanks, talent agency WME, and distributor Neon as defendants.¹¹

Both films center on a couple that becomes physically fused as a metaphor for codependency, drawing on Plato’s Symposium. StudioFest alleges the Better Half script was sent to Franco and Brie’s agents at WME in 2020, turned down, and later mirrored in the defendants’ own project.¹² The complaint points to overlapping specifics: a bathroom scene in which the protagonists become attached at the genitals and try to hide, drawings that foreshadow the fusion, awkward marriage proposals, and a recurring Spice Girls and vinyl-record motif.¹³

The defendants argued the “couple stuck together” concept is an unprotectable idea predating both films, and that Shanks completed a draft and registered it with the Writers Guild of America in 2019, a year before Better Half was pitched to WME.¹⁴ On February 20, 2026, Judge Josephine L. Staton of the Central District of California denied the motion to dismiss, finding that while individual elements such as the Symposium reference are unprotectable on their own, StudioFest had “plausibly alleged enough protectable similarities in plot, sequence of events, and theme” to move forward.¹³ Defendants filed their answers in March 2026, and the case remained active as of May 2026.¹⁵

Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Faces Three Legal Fronts

The proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance cleared federal antitrust review in June 2026 but continues to face challenges from state attorneys general, consumers, and stockholders.

DOJ Clears the Deal; State AGs Investigate

On June 12, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division closed its eight-month investigation, concluding the deal was “not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.” The review examined streaming, linear television, and theatrical film production and distribution.¹⁶

A coalition of nearly a dozen state attorneys general led by California AG Rob Bonta is reportedly preparing its own lawsuit to block the deal, citing concerns about reduced competition, entertainment-industry job losses, and consolidation of news operations like CBS News and CNN under one owner. Bonta said the deal “remains under investigation by my office,” and New York confirmed it is part of the coalition.¹⁷ The DOJ acknowledged that state attorneys general retain “independent authority under antitrust laws” to bring their own challenges.¹⁸

Consumer Antitrust Suit in California

Five streaming subscribers filed a consumer antitrust lawsuit in the Northern District of California seeking not only to block the Warner Bros. deal but also to unwind the earlier Skydance-Paramount merger that closed in August 2025. They allege the combined entity will raise prices and reduce viewing options. Paramount filed a motion to dismiss on June 3, 2026, calling the suit a “clumsy attempt to politicize antitrust litigation.” A hearing is scheduled for July 16, 2026.¹⁹

Stockholder Litigation in Delaware

Paramount stockholders, including Chicago pension funds, are pursuing actions in the Delaware Court of Chancery over whether controlling shareholder Shari Redstone improperly influenced the earlier $8 billion sale of Paramount to Skydance Media. In June 2026, the court ordered Paramount to produce board-level emails and text messages about the mid-negotiation departures of three special committee directors, finding a “credible basis to suspect wrongdoing” and noting Redstone, who controlled 77.4% of Paramount’s Class A voting stock, may have received special benefits not shared by other stockholders.²⁰

Musicians’ Union Sues Universal and Warner Over AI Licensing

The American Federation of Musicians sued Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group on June 5, 2026, in the Southern District of New York, alleging the labels violated their collective bargaining agreements by licensing sound recordings to AI companies without notifying the union or paying the musicians who performed on them.²¹

The case (No. 1:26-cv-04760) stems from settlements the labels reached with AI music startups Suno and Udio after suing them for copyright infringement in 2024. Warner settled with Suno in November 2025; Universal settled with Udio in October 2025. Both deals included licensing arrangements for portions of the labels’ catalogs.²² The AFM says those licenses fall under a “new use” provision requiring the labels to share revenue from uses not originally covered by the contract, and that the labels received “significant compensation” from the AI companies without passing any along to performers.

Other Notable Verdicts and Filings

Kevin Spacey Insurance Trial

A Santa Monica jury ruled in March 2026 that Media Rights Capital, the production company behind House of Cards, could not collect on a cast insurance policy tied to firing Kevin Spacey in 2017. MRC had sought $29 million, arguing Spacey’s absence was due to a “sex addiction sickness.” Insurer Fireman’s Fund persuaded the jury the firing was a business decision driven by bad publicity after sexual misconduct allegations, not a covered illness.²³ The verdict reportedly blocks the production companies from collecting roughly $100 million in total insurance claims tied to Spacey’s departure.²⁴

Nichelle Nichols Wrongful Death Verdict

On June 4, 2026, a New Mexico jury awarded $13 million to the family of Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Lt. Uhura in Star Trek and died on July 30, 2022. The suit alleged that Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City failed to perform a proper cardiac workup when she was admitted with shortness of breath, missing a treatable heart problem. The jury found the hospital 40% negligent and treating physician Dr. Tsering Sherpa 60% negligent.²⁵ Because the hospital is owned by the Grant County government, New Mexico’s Tort Claims Act caps the collectible amount at $400,000.²⁶ A separate suit against the company that operated the hospital until mid-2025 remains pending.

TelevisaUnivision World Cup Piracy Suit

TelevisaUnivision filed an emergency copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit on June 4, 2026, in the Southern District of Florida (Case No. 1:26-cv-23911), seeking to block a group of alleged pirate streaming services from rebroadcasting its exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The company asked for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against what it called “ongoing and irreparable harm.”²⁷

“Catfish” Trademark Dispute

Catfish Picture Company, the production entity behind MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show, filed a trademark infringement suit on March 25, 2026, in the Southern District of New York against Versant Media and Asylum Entertainment Group. The suit alleges the defendants plan to use the “Catfish” name for a competing series titled Catfish Murders without permission. The case, before Judge Loretta A. Preska, remained active as of mid-June 2026.²⁸²⁹

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ABC7 Chicago. South Florida Officers Sue Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Claiming Details in Rip Are Real
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Time. The Rip True Story
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The Online Citizen. Miami Officers Sue Artists Equity Over Netflix Film The Rip Alleging Defamation
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Variety. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Sued by Miami Police Officers Over The Rip
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CNN. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck Rip Movie Lawsuit
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PACER Monitor. Smith et al v. Falco Pictures, LLC et al
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NPR. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Settle Weeks Ahead of Trial
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The New York Times. Blake Lively Legal Fees Ruling, Justin Baldoni Settlement
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ABC News. Justin Baldoni’s $400M Countersuit Against Blake Lively Ended by Judge
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ABC News. Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Legal Battle Timeline
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Courthouse News. Dave Franco and Alison Brie Body Horror Movie Together Accused of Being a Rip-Off
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Variety. Dave Franco, Alison Brie Together Lawyer Slams Plagiarism Suit
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Cardozo AELJ. The Together Lawsuit: What Will Matter After the Motion to Dismiss
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SF Chronicle. Franco, Brie Copyright Lawsuit
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CourtListener. Studiofest LLC v. William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC
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U.S. Department of Justice. Statement on Closing Investigation of Merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery
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The Guardian. Paramount Warner Bros Merger
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Fox Business. DOJ Clears Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
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Variety. Paramount Antitrust Lawsuit to Block Warner Bros Deal
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Investment News. Chicago Pension Funds Win Delaware Order Over Paramount-Skydance Merger Files
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Bloomberg Law. Union Sues Record Companies for Violating Contract With AI Pacts
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Los Angeles Times. American Federation of Musicians Sues Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group
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Variety. House of Cards Producer $29 Million Trial Kevin Spacey
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Law360. House of Cards Loss Not Tied to Spacey Illness, Jury Finds
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KOB. Jury Awards $13M to Family of Star Trek Star Over Wrongful Death
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KRQE. New Mexico Jury Awards Nichelle Nichols Family $13 Million for Wrongful Death
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Bloomberg Law. TelevisaUnivision Sues Streaming Services Ahead of World Cup
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Bloomberg Law. Catfish Producers File Trademark Suit Against Media Companies
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PACER Monitor. Catfish Picture Company, LLC v. Versant Media, LLC et al