Reality star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian has landed in legal trouble once again—this time over a case of mistaken identity in a social media post.
A man named Ivan Cantu, a New York-based project manager, has filed a lawsuit against Kardashian, alleging that she mistakenly used his photo in place of another man—also named Ivan Cantu—who was on death row for a 2001 murder conviction. The post, which appeared on Kardashian’s Instagram Stories in February 2024, was part of her advocacy campaign to support clemency for the convicted Cantu ahead of his execution.
The plaintiff claims that the mix-up has caused him emotional distress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleepless nights. He argues that being linked—however briefly—to a convicted murderer has damaged his personal and professional life.
Kardashian’s legal team has responded, acknowledging the error but dismissing the lawsuit as an opportunistic attempt to exploit an honest mistake. According to her attorneys, Kardashian and her team had posted a total of 16 Instagram Stories about the case over a ten-day span. Only one of those stories, shared on February 26—just two days before the execution—contained the incorrect image.
Her lawyers explained that the error was identified within hours and the story was promptly deleted. Kardashian also issued a public apology to the wrongly identified man shortly afterward.
“The use of Plaintiff’s image in the February 26 Story was a mistake and was not done intentionally,” Kardashian stated in a declaration. “I would not have used the image appearing in the February 26 Story had I known that it was a picture of Plaintiff and not Mr. Cantu.”
A representative from Kardashian’s legal team, as quoted by US Weekly, said, “This lawsuit is an attempt to cash in on a mistake.”
The legal proceedings are still ongoing.
