South Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in 'The Rip' are too real

"Two South Florida police officers claim Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's recent action thriller "The Rip" used too many real-life details in its fictionalized narrative, causing harm to the officers' personal and professional reputations, according to a defamation lawsuit."

""The Rip" features Affleck and Damon as South Florida police officers who find millions of dollars inside a house. Parts of the movie were inspired by a real 2016 case, where police found over $21 million linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker in a Miami Lakes home."

"Although Smith and Santana aren't named in the film, the lawsuit claims that Santana was serving as the lead detective assigned to the real case, and Smith was the sergeant who supervised the investigative team. The film's inclusion of real details about the case gives the impression that the characters are based on the plaintiffs, the suit said."

"In a March 19 response to the plaintiffs' demand letter, Leita Walker, an attorney for Artists Equity, wrote that the film does not purport to tell the true story of that incident or portray real people, which had been stated by a disclaimer in the film's credits."

Two South Florida police officers filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court claiming a fictional action thriller used excessive real-life details that harmed their personal and professional reputations. The lawsuit targets Artists Equity, a film production company owned by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The film portrays South Florida police officers who discover millions of dollars in a house, with parts inspired by a real 2016 case involving more than $21 million linked to a suspected marijuana trafficker in a Miami Lakes home. The complaint says one officer served as lead detective and the other supervised the investigative team in the real case, and that the film’s inclusion of specific details creates the impression the characters are based on them. The officers seek compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and a public retraction and correction.

Read at Boston.com