Kim Kardashian could have a budding appearing profession on high of her SKIMS clothes line and actuality TV present (The Kardashians Season 6 premiered not too long ago on the 2025 TV schedule), however over time we’ve additionally seen her put work into reforming the prison justice system. Now she’s going through some authorized bother of her personal, as what her lawyer is asking a “easy mistake” has led to a potential defamation lawsuit after she used a photograph of the improper man on social media, saying he was on dying row.
In February 2024, Kim Kardashian posted a photograph of Ivan Cantu, a resident of Westchester, New York, incorrectly figuring out him as a Texas dying row inmate of the identical title who was headed for execution. In line with an unfiled civil grievance submitted February 20, 2025, to the Los Angeles Superior Courtroom, the L.A. Instances studies, this resulted in extreme emotional misery for Cantu. In line with the grievance:
Cantu suffered severe emotional harm and harm within the type of emotional and psychological anguish, psychological hurt, embarrassment, anxiousness, lack of sleep, nightmares, post-traumatic stress, complications, want for medical care and emotional counseling.
The person Kim Kardashian was referring to in her social media put up was Ivan “Abner” Cantu, who was convicted within the 2000 murders of his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée. He died by deadly injection on February 28, 2024.
In line with the New York resident’s grievance, Ivan Cantu is suing The Kardashians star for libel, slander, intentional infliction of emotional misery, invasion of privateness, negligence and representing him in false gentle by figuring out him as a double assassin. The paperwork reads:
Kardashian revealed and disseminated false info with out privilege or authorization, and her acts had been intentional, negligent, reckless and/or violated requirements of ethics and decency.
He’s searching for damages in an quantity but to be decided.
Kim Kardashian’s Lawyer Says Misidentification Was A ‘Easy Mistake’
Kim Kardashian’s lawyer Michael Rhodes responded to the civil grievance, saying the social media put up was taken down after the error was found. In an announcement to the L.A. Instances, Rhodes mentioned:
[It was] a easy mistake of utilizing the general public photograph of one other man with the identical title to advertise Kim’s longstanding dedication to the reason for prison justice reform. The picture was taken down virtually instantly as soon as the error was found. We’d favor to resolve this with out litigation, however after all will defend Kim as wanted.
Ivan Cantu argues that regardless of his picture finally being faraway from Kim Kardashian’s social media platforms (which attain greater than 350 million followers), the case of mistaken id triggered severe harm to his repute and uncovered him to hate. Cantu posted his personal message to Fb, US Weekly studies, saying on the time:
To all my family and friends, I’m not getting executed, some fool who runs @kimkardashian used my image as a substitute of Ivan ‘Abner’ Cantu.
Kim Kardashian started engaged on jail reform lengthy earlier than she handed the child bar in 2021. In 2017 she grew to become concerned within the case of Alice Marie Johnson, an inmate serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. Kardashian labored with President Trump, who finally granted Johnson clemency.
The SKIMS boss additionally met with Lyle and Erik Menéndez — the latter of whom used to play tennis with Robert Kardashian Sr., in accordance with Kris Jenner on an episode of The Kardashians (accessible to stream with a Hulu subscription) — and was in help of their upcoming resentencing within the 1989 murders of their dad and mom.
As for Ivan Cantu, we’ll have to attend to see if he will get his day in court docket.