A group of Miami police officers has filed a lawsuit against American actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck over their Netflix crime thriller, The Rip, alleging that the film damaged their reputations.
According to reports, the officers filed the suit through the actors’ production company, Artists Equity, claiming the movie unfairly portrayed law enforcement officers involved in a 2016 narcotics raid in Miami-Dade.
The film, released in January on Netflix, stars Damon and Affleck as police officers in the Miami-Dade Police Department narcotics unit.
The movie is said to be inspired by the 2016 Miami Lakes narcotics raid, which reportedly led to the seizure of more than 24 million dollars in cash and was described as the largest money seizure in Miami-Dade history.
One of the plaintiffs, Jonathan Santana, a deputy with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, denied allegations implied in the movie.
“When you rip something, you’re stealing something. We never stole a dollar,” Santana was quoted as saying.
He added that he had faced public ridicule since the film’s release, with some people jokingly accusing him of theft.
Santana’s lawyer, Ignacio Alvarez, argued that the movie portrayed his clients as corrupt officers.
“They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty. Now their reputations are hurt,” Alvarez said.
He added that the officers’ reputations had been permanently damaged by public perception following the release of the film.
The actors had yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit as of press time.
The controversy surrounding the film is not new.
Reports indicate that Bryan Calvo, Mayor of Hialeah, Florida, had earlier criticised the movie, claiming it falsely depicted the city as unsafe and cast law enforcement personnel in a negative light.
The film also features Steven Yeun and Kyle Chandler in supporting roles.
