The Rip Lawsuit: Florida Sergeants Sue Artists Equity Over Film

The Rip lawsuit is a federal defamation case filed in May 2026 by two Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office sergeants who say the Netflix crime drama The Rip portrays them as corrupt cops by borrowing specific details from a real 2016 drug bust they led. Sergeants Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana sued Artists Equity, the production company co-founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and Falco Pictures in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.¹²

Who Filed the Suit and What They Allege

Smith supervised the investigative team on the 2016 raid, and Santana was the lead detective on the case.³⁴⁵

Neither sergeant is named in the film. Their theory is that they don’t have to be. Because The Rip opens with an “inspired by true events” card and then reproduces distinctive details from their investigation, they argue a reasonable viewer would connect the fictional Miami narcotics team on screen to the actual one that worked the case. The film shows those fictional officers turning corrupt, and the sergeants say that implication attaches to them.¹

The Details the Film Borrowed From the Real Case

On June 29, 2016, a Miami-Dade narcotics team executed a search warrant at a home on Northwest 169th Terrace in Miami Lakes. Behind a section of drywall, in a hidden attic compartment, officers found 24 five-gallon Home Depot buckets packed with bundled hundred-dollar bills totaling roughly $24 million. Department policy required the cash to be counted by hand on-site, twice, and the officers were inside the house for more than 42 hours.⁶

The Rip, directed by Joe Carnahan and released on Netflix on January 16, 2026, opens with a Miami police team discovering $20 million in cartel cash at a stash house. The screenplay retains the false wall, the orange buckets, a cash-sniffing dog, and the marathon counting session. Affleck plays Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne and Damon plays Lieutenant Dane Dumars; trust inside the team collapses as word of the seizure spreads.⁶⁷

Carnahan developed the script after befriending Miami-Dade officer Chris Casiano, who served as a technical advisor on the film. In interviews, Carnahan said that while names were changed, “main characters remained rooted in real people.” He also stated that in the real incident “there was no corruption, dirty cops, or confrontation over the money.”⁸⁹

A central grievance in the complaint is that Casiano was not part of the narcotics unit when the 2016 raid took place, did not execute the search warrant, and was not present for the cash recovery. According to the complaint, another officer who worked on the movie as a consultant later contacted the plaintiffs on behalf of Carnahan to apologize for how Casiano had represented the story. The plaintiffs also contend they should have been compensated as consultants, noting that another officer who was not part of the actual investigation received payment.¹⁰²

The Harm the Sergeants Describe

According to the complaint, third parties have questioned Smith and Santana about how many buckets of cash they supposedly kept. Associates have accused them of using seized funds to buy vehicles, boats, and property improvements, or to pay for private schooling. A Miami-Dade County State Attorney reportedly contacted one of the plaintiffs to ask whether any theft allegations had ever been made in connection with the case.³ Santana told 7 News Miami: “We never stole a dollar.”²

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Ignacio Alvarez of ALGO Law Offices in Coral Gables, has focused on the film’s disclaimer. He told the Miami Herald that it appears only after the credits and is practically invisible: “I had to put on my glasses to read it. Now they have a cloud over their shoulder. It has destroyed their credibility and reputation.” Alvarez also accused the filmmakers of failing to do “their due diligence.”¹¹

What the Lawsuit Asks For

The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, a public retraction and correction, and a prominent disclaimer added to the film itself. No dollar figure has been named. Alvarez told the Herald “there is no monetary figure yet as the litigation is still in its early stages.”⁵¹¹

How Artists Equity Has Responded

The plaintiffs’ attorneys sent a cease-and-desist letter to the production companies in December 2025, before the film’s release. On March 19, 2026, Artists Equity attorney Leita Walker responded that the film “does not purport to tell the true story of the 2016 Miami drug bust or portray real-life people,” a point she said is “clearly stated in a disclaimer in the film’s credits.” Walker also noted the plaintiffs are not named in the film and were not involved in its production.¹²¹³

After the suit was filed in May, Walker declined to comment further. Netflix has not issued a separate public response.¹³

The Florida Law Behind the Case

Florida recognizes defamation by implication, which allows a plaintiff to challenge statements that are not literally false but create a false impression. The Florida Supreme Court set the framework in its 2008 decision Jews For Jesus, Inc. v. Rapp, holding that a defendant must prove the truth of the false impression itself, not just the underlying statement.¹⁴

There is no U.S. legal requirement that filmmakers purchase “life rights” before telling a story inspired by real events. That industry contract provides access and a waiver of potential claims, and without one, creators face the risk of suits even when they believe the work is sufficiently fictionalized. Truth remains a complete defense to defamation, but dramatization can complicate that defense when a film draws closely from identifiable real events.¹⁴

Where the Case Stands

As of mid-2026, no rulings have been issued and no settlement has been reached. The filmmakers maintain the characters are fictional and the disclaimer makes that clear; the sergeants argue that the film’s heavy borrowing from their specific investigation renders the fictional label meaningless. The litigation remains in its early stages in the Southern District of Florida.¹³

1
Variety. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Sued by Miami Police Officers Over The Rip
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The Guardian. Miami Deputies File Lawsuit Against Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Over Rip Movie
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NBC Miami. Miami-Dade Officers Suing Over Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Movie The Rip
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Fox News. Smith and Santana v. Falco Pictures and Artists Equity Complaint
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Entertainment Weekly. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon Sued by Miami Cops for Defamation Over The Rip Movie
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Time. The Rip True Story
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Deadline. The Rip Trailer
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Decider. Joe Carnahan Interview The Rip Movie Director
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Slashfilm. The Rip Director Joe Carnahan Interview
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People. 2 Miami Cops File Lawsuit Against Matt Damon, Ben Affleck Over The Rip
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Miami Herald. Miami-Dade Officers Defamation Lawsuit Against Artists Equity
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Hollywood Reporter. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck The Rip Defamation Lawsuit Netflix
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AOL News. Florida Officers Sue Ben Affleck
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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Florida Defamation Special Analysis