Netflix's 'The Rip' Sued by Miami Deputies
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- Deputies Jonathan Santana and Jason Smith filed a federal defamation lawsuit on May 6 in a Florida court against Artists Equity, the production company behind Netflix’s drama “The Rip,” seeking damages for alleged portrayal as “dirty cops.”
- Netflix’s “The Rip” dramatizes the 2016 Miami Lakes drug bust that recovered $24 million in cash hidden in 24 buckets, the largest haul in Miami‑Dade police history.
- Mayor Bryan Calvo condemned the film, calling it a “slap in the face” of local law‑enforcement after the raid was set in Hialeah rather than the actual location.
- Attorney Ignacio Alvarez says the deputies suffered “substantial harm” to their personal and professional reputations and argues they should have been paid as consultants like another officer who was.
- Legal analysts note that because the deputies are not named in the movie, the defamation case faces a higher evidentiary bar, making success uncertain.
Why it matters: The deputies seek monetary damages, potentially costing Netflix and Artists Equity, while the lawsuit deepens the company’s reputational and legal exposure amid recent shareholder activism and a 10% stock drop.
