Florida police sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon over film The Rip

A defamation lawsuit has been initiated by two police officers from South Florida against Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, asserting that their movie The Rip incorporates excessive real-life elements from a 2016 incident, thereby damaging their reputations. Although the officers are not identified in the film, they argue that the fictionalized story implies that the characters are modeled after them. The civil suit demands compensatory and punitive damages, along with legal fees and a public apology. The film, featuring Affleck and Damon as officers who uncover millions in a residence, draws inspiration from a true event in which police found over US$21 million tied to a suspected marijuana trafficker in a Miami Lakes house. An attorney for Artists Equity refrained from commenting, but in a response dated March 19, Leita Walker emphasized that the film does not claim to depict actual events or real individuals, referencing a disclaimer in the credits.