Kim Kardashian Sued for Posting Photo of Wrong Man on Instagram
Kim Kardashian has been sued for posting a photo of the wrong man in an appeal to her 370 million Instagram followers last year.
The lawsuit revolves around a photo Kardashian posted in an Instagram story in February 2024 to bring awareness to the case of Ivan Cantu, a Texas man who was on death row at the time after being convicted of murdering his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée. He was executed on February 28, 2024.
However, the photo used by Kardashian in her post was not of the death row inmate. Instead, the reality star mistakenly posted a photo of another man called Ivan Cantu, who lives in New York.
Kardashian, who is a criminal justice reform advocate, posted the photo of the wrong Cantu to her Instagram story and wrote: “The state will executive Ivan Cantu in 2 days.” She also linked to a petition to demand to “withdraw the execution date.”
In a lawsuit filed against Kardashian in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, Cantu claims Kardashian’s mix-up exposed him “to hatred, contempt, and/or ridicule.”
According to USA Today, Kardashian is being accused of invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, libel and slander along with a fifth allegation: “false light,” which accuses her of using his photograph in a false or misleading way that would be “highly offensive to a reasonable person.”
Cantu has allegedly suffered severe emotional distress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and “loss of reputation” as a result of Kardashian’s mistake with the photos. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages in an amount to be determined in court.
In a statement to NBC News, Kardashian’s attorney Michael Rhodes says the star made a “simple mistake” when she used a public photo of a man named Ivan Cantu to promote her commitment to criminal justice reform.
“The image was taken down almost immediately once the error was discovered,” her attorney says.
However, Cantu’s attorney Greg Sobo says the reality star should have known “the power of social media” given her fame and that his client is a “very private family man.”
“For too long, we have seen social media cause devastating injuries to innocent victims,” Sobo tells NBC News. “Social media is too often abused to bully the innocent, incite harm, and injure our communities.
“Just like those who cause physical harm should be held accountable, those who cause injuries to innocent victims through social media must also be held responsible.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
