Matt Damon and Ben Affleck sued by Miami police for allegedly depicting them as ‘dirty’ in Netflix film
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are being sued by means of their manufacturing firm, Artists Equity, over their newest Netflix crime thriller, The Ripwhich Miami police allege falsely depicts them as “dirty.”
Released in January, the movie, starring Damon and Affleck, opens with a disclaimer that it is “inspired by true events.” Writer and director Joe Carnahan has beforehand mentioned that it was based mostly on the 2016 Miami Lakes narcotics raid, throughout which the Miami-Dade Police Department — now identified as the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Department — seized greater than $24 million in laundered money, marking the most important cash forfeiture in Miami-Dade historical past.
In a brand new lawsuit, a number of officers concerned in the unique 2016 bust have claimed that the film has precipitated “unfair reputational harm,” in response to native outlet 7 News Miami.
Speaking to the outlet, Jonathan Santana, the lead detective of the 2016 case, mentioned: “When you rip something, you’re stealing something. We never stole a dollar.”
Santana mentioned that whereas he was beforehand praised for his work on the 10-year-old case, since The Rip‘s premiere, he has been mocked by individuals, “pretty much saying, you know, how many buckets of money did I steal?”
Ben Affleck (left) and Matt Damon (proper) co-led ‘The Rip,’ which is predicated on the 2016 Miami-Dade drug bust (Netflix)
the film sees Damon and Affleck reunite on-screen as the lead officers conducting the drug raid. After discovering the large sum of money, the workforce’s alliance and belief are examined. Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Scott Adkins and Steven Yeun additionally characteristic.
The lawsuit additionally alleges that The Rip included fabricated storylines to painting police corruption, cartel dealings and even homicide. The grievance cites quite a few scenes from the film, together with moments in which officers deceive suspects, keep direct contact with the cartel and think about illegally pocketing a portion of the uncovered cash.
“They portrayed police officers as dirty, they portrayed my clients as dirty,” Santana’s lawyer, Ignacio Alvarez, argued. “Now their reputations are hurt.”
‘The Rip’ has been accused of inflicting reputational hurt to the real-life officers concerned in the 2016 Miami-Dade narcotics raid (Claire Folger/Netflix)
He added: “My clients are now hurt for the rest of their lives with everyone perceives that they’re dirty.”
The Independent you’ve got contacted Alvarez and Artists Equity for remark.
This is just not the primary time The Rip you’ve got confronted backlash. Immediately following the film’s launch, Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo argued that it portrayed his metropolis as harmful and disrespected its legislation enforcement.
Although the film is impressed by the occasions in Miami Lakes, it’s set in Hialeah, a metropolis positioned northwest of Miami.
“I know Hialeah has been the butt of the joke for a long time,” Calvo mentioned throughout a press convention on the time. “But that ends now. This movie is a slap in the face to our law enforcement personnel.”
