Los Angeles [US], May 11 (ANI): Hollywood actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are facing legal trouble after two law enforcement officers filed a lawsuit against their production company, Artists Equity, over the upcoming film ‘The Rip’.
According to Variety, the lawsuit was filed by Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officers Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana, who alleged that the film and its promotional material caused “substantial harm” to their personal and professional reputations.
The officers claimed that the characters portrayed by Affleck and Damon in the film imply “misconduct, poor judgment and unethical behaviour in connection with a real law enforcement operation.”
“Smith and Santana allege the characters played by Affleck and Damon in the movie ‘The Rip’ have caused them ‘substantial harm to their personal and professional reputations’ because the movie and its advertisements ‘imply misconduct, poor judgment and unethical behaviour in connection with a real law enforcement operation’.” as quoted by the outlet.
As per Variety, the lawsuit further alleged that the film draws heavily from a real-life case from June 2016 in which more than USD 21 million was seized during an investigation.
“The film’s use of unique, non-generic details of the June 29, 2016, investigation, combined with its Miami-Dade setting and portrayal of a narcotics team, creates a reasonable inference that the officers depicted are Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit states, as per Variety.
The officers’ legal representatives have reportedly sought a public retraction and correction from the filmmakers.
Directed by Joe Carnahan, ‘The Rip’ features Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Detective Sergeant JD Byrne, two law enforcement officers in the Miami-Dade Police Department who discover corruption in their ranks linked to USD 20 million of cartel cash.
The film also features Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle and Kyle Chandler in key roles. (ANI)
