Latest news with #IvanCantu
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Kim Kardashian Faces Legal Heat For Posting Wrong Man's Pic In Anti-Death Penalty Campaign
Last Updated: Kim Kardashian is sued by Ivan Cantu, a New York project manager, for using his photo in a 2024 Instagram post supporting a death row inmate with the same name. Kim Kardashian has found herself entangled in a fresh legal controversy, this time over a case of mistaken identity on social media. A man named Ivan Cantu, a New York-based project manager, has filed a lawsuit against the reality star, claiming she wrongly used his photo in a 2024 post supporting a death row inmate who shared the same name. According to US Weekly, the plaintiff alleges that the error has left him with post-traumatic stress disorder and sleepless nights. His image, he claims, was used in a high-profile Instagram story meant to advocate for another Ivan Cantu, an inmate convicted of murder in 2001. Kim had publicly supported the inmate's clemency efforts prior to his execution. Kim's legal team addressed the situation in detail, clarifying: '[Kim] played an important role in advocating for Mr. Cantu. Over the course of approximately ten days in February 2024, [Kim] and her team posted a series of 'stories' regarding Mr. Cantu — approximately 16 in all — on [Kim's] Instagram account. Of these 16 stories, one story posted two days before Mr. Cantu's execution mistakenly used an image of the plaintiff in this action, a New York-based project manager whose name is also Ivan Cantu. The mistake was discovered within hours of the posting, and the story was immediately deleted, with [Kim] swiftly issuing a public apology to [Ivan]." In her own declaration, Kim acknowledged the error, stating: 'The use of Plaintiff's image in the February 26 Story was a mistake and was not done intentionally. 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." Her attorneys have dismissed the lawsuit as opportunistic, saying, 'This lawsuit is an attempt to cash in on a mistake." The legal proceedings are still underway. First Published: July 06, 2025, 10:34 IST
Pink Villa
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Here's Why Kim Kardashian was Fighting Legal Battle At Lavish Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez Wedding
As Kim Kardashian stood among the A-list guests at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's opulent Venetian wedding in late June 2025, she was also embroiled in a public legal battle back in the United States. The reality star and aspiring lawyer was responding to a lawsuit filed by a New York man named Ivan Cantu, who alleges serious reputational harm after Kardashian publicly posted his photo in place of a Texas death row inmate she was advocating for in 2024. The confusion arose due to the shared name, Ivan Cantu, but Kardashian's post, seen by millions, tied the innocent man to a capital murder case. The legal filings were signed by Kardashian on June 26 in Venice, just one day before the Bezos wedding festivities kicked off. Mistaken identity sparks emotional distress lawsuit According to court documents, Kardashian had posted a series of Instagram stories in February 2024 calling attention to the Texas inmate's case, aiming to stay his execution. However, one of the posts featured an image of the wrong Ivan Cantu, a project manager based in New York. The plaintiff claimed that the post caused him 'emotional distress,' 'invasion of privacy,' and other damages including sleep loss and PTSD. Kim's legal team called the lawsuit meritless and said the image was removed within hours. 'This lawsuit is an attempt to cash in on a mistake,' her lawyer stated, per US Weekly. Kardashian also issued a public apology shortly after the error was discovered. Kardashian's advocacy meets legal scrutiny In a signed declaration, Kim emphasized her dedication to criminal justice reform, asserting that her advocacy work is rooted in personal conviction and not commercial gain. 'The use of Plaintiff's image in the February 26 Story was a mistake and was not done intentionally,' she stated in the declaration. She described the mix-up as inadvertent and expressed remorse for the error. '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,' she said. The case remains ongoing.
USA Today
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Kim Kardashian sued for posting photo of wrong man while advocating for death row inmate
Kim Kardashian sued for posting photo of wrong man while advocating for death row inmate Ivan Cantu of New York accuses Kim Kardashian of invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress after she used his photo in 2024 to advocate for a stay in another Ivan Cantu's execution. Show Caption Hide Caption Kim Kardashian joins Kamala Harris for criminal justice reform event Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a White House event with businesswoman and reality star Kim Kardashian, along with 11 recently pardoned people. Kim Kardashian is being sued over an Instagram mix-up. The case, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, hinges on a February 2024 Instagram Story post in which the criminal justice reform advocate — attempting to raise awareness about Ivan Cantu, a Texas man on death row — posted a photo of the wrong person. While there was an Ivan Cantu awaiting execution in Texas, the photo used by Kardashian in her post was actually of another Ivan Cantu, who lives in New York. Pointing out that at the time Kardashian had over 350 million followers on the platform (she now has 357 million), the suit alleges Cantu suffered severe emotional distress and embarrassment. 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." The original post, attached as evidence, shows a black-and-white photo of Cantu with the text "The State will execute Ivan Cantu in 2 days. Please sign the petition to demand that Colin County DA Greg Willis request to withdraw the execution date." Below the caption was a link to a petition. The other Cantu, who was found guilty of murdering his cousin and his fiancée in 2001, was executed on Feb. 28, 2024, despite a public campaign to reconsider the decision when a key witness recanted their testimony. That the Texas-based Cantu was convicted of murder is key to the New York-based Cantu's case, given the severity of the crime and the alleged emotional distress caused by a public figure intimating he had committed such an act. Ivan Cantu 'suffered a very real trauma,' attorney says The suit called Kardashian's post "clearly untrue, erroneous, unfounded, shocking, scandalous, degrading, disgraceful, and/or shameful" and demanded a jury trial to determine appropriate damages. "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," Cantu's lawyer Greg Sobo shared in a statement to USA TODAY Monday. "This litigation will demonstrate that Mr Cantu is a very private family man with two daughters," the statement continued. "At the time Kim Kardashian defamed his reputation, he was grieving a very private family loss. As a result of the Kardashian abuse, Mr. Cantu's privacy was destroyed at a most critical and sensitive time, and he has suffered very real trauma that will last a lifetime." USA TODAY has reached out to Kardashian's representatives for comment. Kim Kardashian faces lawsuit amid her own legal training The suit comes amid Kardashian's nascent interest in entering the legal field. The post in question is part of Kardashian's recent efforts to spotlight people she feels have been wrongfully convicted and lend her star power to cases on death row. The daughter of famous defense attorney Robert Kardashian, she passed California's First-Year Law Students' Exam in 2021 and has lobbied the Trump and Biden administrations on criminal justice issues. In 2018, President Trump commuted the prison sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, who had served 22 years for drug trafficking and money laundering charges. She had received a life sentence despite the charges being her first criminal offenses, and Kardashian had championed the case to Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. Last April, Kardashian discussed criminal justice reform with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House in honor of Second Chance Month, which encourages building "meaningful second chances for people returning from incarceration." The Skims founder has also argued there were "abuse and injustices" in the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who are serving life in prison for killing their parents in 1996 and are now making a bid for resentencing so they could be released on parole. Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
