Kim Kardashian is being sued for libel and slander by a man accusing the reality star of wrongfully identifying him in a photo as an inmate of the same name awaiting the death penalty.
According to TMZ, Ivan A. Cantu alleges in the suit that Kardashian posted a photo of him on social media in Feb. 2024 in which she urged people to sign a petition requesting that a judge withdraw the execution date.
Cantu claims the post caused public embarrassment, shame, hatred, ridicule, disgrace, contempt and aversion.
The suit alleges Cantu has lost sleep, suffered from headaches and nightmares, and experienced PTSD. He has allegedly sought medical care and emotional counseling due to the post, which he claims hurt his reputation.
Kardashian's lawyer Michael Rhodes issued a statement to Us Weekly in response to the lawsuit, calling the matter a "simple mistake," which he hopes to resolve without getting the court involved.
"It was a simple mistake of using the public photo of another man with the same name to promote Kim’s longstanding commitment to the cause of criminal justice reform," Rhodes said. "The image was taken down almost immediately once the error was discovered. We’d prefer to solve this without litigation, but of course will defend Kim as needed."
