Kim Kardashian is facing a massive lawsuit after her campaign for death row inmate backfired due to a careless social media blunder.
The reality star-turned-self-proclaimed criminal justice advocate is being sued after she linked an innocent man to a brutal double homicide in a post to her hundreds of millions of social media followers.
As USA Today reported, in a misguided attempt to rally support for a Texas death row inmate, Kardashian mistakenly posted a photo of the wrong person.
Kardashian posted a photo of another man with the same name, causing an avalanche of distress and legal trouble.
Kim Kardashian sued for accidentally mixing up NY man with Texas death row inmate in Instagram post https://t.co/lY18dT9Rs8 pic.twitter.com/rPiBwU8gK7
— New York Post (@nypost) February 24, 2025
The lawsuit was filed last Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The plaintiff alleges that Kardashian’s February 2024 Instagram Story carelessly featured an image of New York resident Ivan Cantu, instead of the convicted murderer awaiting execution in Texas.
At the time, Kardashian had a staggering 350 million followers.
Her huge following ensured the mistake reached a massive audience.
The blunder resulted in severe embarrassment for the misidentified Cantu, the lawsuit asserts.
Cantu is suing Kardashian for invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, libel, slander, and a particularly damaging claim of “false light.”
This charge asserts that her post cast him in a misleading and highly offensive manner.
Cantu is suing billionaire Kardashian for unspecified damages.
However, the payout for such a case is likely to be significant.
He alleges that the post made it appear as though he was a convicted murderer awaiting execution.
The lawsuit highlights the immense power wielded by celebrities who use their platforms for activism, often with little regard for accuracy.
Kardashian’s post, submitted as evidence, included a black-and-white image of Cantu with a message urging people to sign a petition to halt the execution of the real Ivan Cantu in Texas.
The post linked to a MoveOn.org petition and spread misinformation to hundreds of millions of followers.
While Kardashian likely meant well in her advocacy, her reckless mistake had serious, real-world consequences.
The Texas inmate she was attempting to support was convicted of murdering his cousin and his fiancée in 2001.
Nevertheless, he was ultimately executed on February 28, 2024, despite public campaigns calling for a review of his case.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Cantu, a private citizen with no connection to the crime, was left to deal with the fallout of being wrongly linked to a gruesome crime.
The lawsuit argues that Kardashian’s irresponsible post deeply affected Cantu.
Cantu’s lawyers state that he’s a family man who was already grappling with a personal loss when Kardashian dragged his name into a death row controversy.
Attorney Greg Sobo didn’t mince his words while condemning Kardashian’s actions, stating:
“Social media is a powerful force.
“It can be used for good: to spark social change, to warn of danger, and to foster relationships.
“But, when abused, social media can also inflict pain, suffering, and tragedy.”
He further emphasized that Cantu’s privacy was “destroyed at a most critical and sensitive time.”
Sobo warns that the damage caused by Kardashian’s careless activism would have long-lasting consequences.
This lawsuit comes as Kardashian continues to insert herself into the legal field, often with mixed results.
The daughter of the late high-profile defense attorney Robert “Bobby” Kardashian, she passed California’s First-Year Law Students’ Exam in 2021.
She has lobbied both the Trump and Biden administrations on criminal justice issues.
Her efforts famously led to President Trump commuting the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson in 2018, a move that conservatives largely supported due to the excessive nature of Johnson’s punishment.
However, Kardashian’s legal activism has also raised eyebrows, particularly when she cozied up to former Vice President Kamala Harris last year to promote “Second Chance Month.”
The left-wing initiative advocated for reduced sentences and parole reforms.
This latest blunder may prove to be a costly lesson for Kardashian.
While she enjoys playing the role of social justice warrior, this lawsuit underscores the dangers of reckless celebrity activism—especially when it comes at the expense of an innocent man’s reputation.
