Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are back in legal-drama headlines – but this time, it’s not for something happening on screen.
The longtime Hollywood duo are being sued over their Netflix crime thriller The Rip, with two Miami-Dade police officers claiming the movie paints them in a damaging light.
Officers Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana filed the lawsuit arguing that, while their names never appear in the film, the lead law enforcement characters were clearly modeled after them.
Damon stars as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, while Affleck plays Detective Sergeant JD Byrne.
And the officers are not happy about the comparison.
According to the lawsuit, Smith and Santana are demanding compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees, and something Hollywood almost never loves hearing: a public correction. They also want Netflix to add a stronger disclaimer to the film, arguing the current “inspired by true events” label doesn’t cut it. Their complaint bluntly states that aside from “the fact that a large seizure occurred, the events portrayed in the film did not happen.”
The controversy adds an unexpected off-screen twist for The Rip, which has already been pulling viewers on Netflix thanks to the Affleck-Damon reunion and gritty cop-drama buzz.
Now, though, audiences are just as interested in the courtroom version of the story. However, Netflix probably did not expect The Rip to become this literal.
Meanwhile, lawsuits seem to be having a moment in celebrity world lately. Kylie Jenner is also currently facing legal trouble after a former housekeeper accused her of discrimination.