Overview
- Miami-Dade narcotics officers Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana filed a federal defamation suit against Artists Equity and Falco Pictures, naming the producers but not Netflix.
- The complaint says The Rip and its marketing used unique details from a 2016 Miami Lakes cash seizure that led coworkers, friends, and family to link the characters to the officers.
- The officers allege the film implies corruption and other crimes they deny, and they say the portrayal has harmed their reputations and personal lives.
- They say they warned the producers in a December 2025 letter before release and now seek compensatory and punitive damages, legal fees, a public retraction, and a visible correction.
- Artists Equity, through attorney Leita Walker, says the film does not depict real people and cites a credits disclaimer, setting up an early court fight over how far “inspired by real events” can go when viewers can identify living individuals.