Reality TV star and business mogul Kim Kardashian faces a lawsuit after mistakenly sharing a photo of the wrong Ivan Cantu in a social media post about a Texas death row inmate.
New York resident Ivan A. Cantu filed a defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles on Thursday, claiming Kardashian caused him severe distress by incorrectly identifying him as a death row prisoner convicted of double murder.
The mix-up occurred on February 26, 2024, when Kardashian posted to her 850 million followers about Ivan "Abner" Cantu, who was scheduled for execution in Texas. The post included a petition requesting the Collin County District Attorney to withdraw the execution date.
According to the lawsuit, Kardashian's team used a photo of the wrong Ivan Cantu - a New York project manager with no criminal record - instead of the Texas inmate who was executed on February 28, 2024, for the murders of his cousin and his cousin's fiancé.
The plaintiff claims the error caused him "emotional and mental anguish, psychological harm, embarrassment, anxiety, loss of sleep, nightmares, post-traumatic stress, headaches" and damaged his reputation. He is seeking unspecified damages to be determined at trial.
Kardashian's attorney Michael Rhodes called it "a simple mistake" that was quickly corrected. "The image was taken down almost immediately once the error was discovered," Rhodes stated, adding they hope to resolve the matter without litigation.
The 44-year-old Kardashian has become a prominent voice in criminal justice reform, previously working with former President Trump to secure Alice Marie Johnson's release and regularly advocating for death row inmates.
The nine-page complaint accuses Kardashian of invasion of privacy and false light, claiming her actions were "intentional, negligent, reckless, and/or violated standards of ethics and decency."