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Two sergeants from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office filed a federal lawsuit against the producers of the film "The Rip," claiming that the movie defamed them by portraying agents as corrupt in a storyline based on a real operation that they themselves conducted.
According to Univisión, Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana filed a lawsuit against the production companies Falco Pictures and Artists Equity —the latter co-founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon— in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The lawsuit was filed last week and Netflix is not listed as a defendant in the case, nor are the actors personally named.
The film, released on Netflix on January 16, features Affleck and Damon as agents who discover millions in cash hidden in a house, in a plot that adds elements of police corruption, the theft of seized money, and the crime of a police captain.
Parts of the script were inspired by a real operation that took place in June 2016 in Miami Lakes, where more than 21 million dollars were found hidden in five-gallon orange buckets, linked to a marijuana trafficking network.
The lawsuit claims that Smith supervised the operation and Santana carried it out, and that, although the film does not mention them by name, it incorporated “distinctive elements” from the investigation that allow for their identification.
"The film and its promotional material suggest misconduct, poor judgment, and unethical behavior in relation to a real operation of law enforcement," states the legal document. "As a result, the plaintiffs have suffered harm to their reputation, a decline in their standing among peers and colleagues, and damage to their credibility in police and professional circles."
Before filing the lawsuit, the sergeants sent letters to both production companies demanding a public retraction and "corrective measures" that were never implemented.
The companies rejected the demands, arguing that the film includes a fictional legal disclaimer, that the characters do not have real names, that the fictional raid occurs in Hialeah and not in Miami Lakes, that the house belongs to a woman and not a man, and that the plots of corruption and crime are entirely made up.
The plaintiffs argue that the full disclaimer of fiction only appears after the credits, while the message "inspired by true events" is prominently displayed at the beginning of the film.
The consequences for the sergeants have been significant: the lawsuit states that one of them was contacted by a state prosecutor from Miami-Dade County, who inquired whether there were any theft accusations related to the case and claimed that his office would investigate it.
"Third parties have asked the plaintiffs which characters from the movie they were and how many buckets they kept," the document states. "Relatives, colleagues, and peers in other entities also noted that the plaintiffs should have used seized funds to make improvements on personal properties, buy vehicles and boats, and cover private education for their children."
In addition to defamation, the lawsuit alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress and economic damages.
This is not the first controversy surrounding the film: in January, Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo also publicly criticized "The Rip" for using the official police badge and associating his city with corruption, even considering legal action alongside Police Chief George Fuente.
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