Kim Kardashian Demands $145K in Legal Fees After Posting Wrong Photo, Faces Backlash

A New York man who lost a defamation lawsuit against Kim Kardashian after the reality TV star mistakenly posted his photo on social media and identified him as a death row inmate has asked a judge not to require him to cover her legal fees.

Ivan Cantu, of Westchester, is urging the court to deny Kardashian’s request that he pay the $145,000 in legal fees she incurred defending the case, according to documents obtained by TMZ.

In February 2024, Kardashian shared a photo with her more than 350 million Instagram followers of a man she believed to be Ivan Cantu, a Texas death row inmate who was later executed on February 28, 2024. At the time, the prison reform advocate was calling for a pause in the execution.

However, Kardashian sparked controversy after posting the wrong image. Instead of the inmate, she shared a photo of a New York-based man with the same name.

Cantu filed a lawsuit against the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star in February 2025.

He alleged the mistake caused “emotional and mental anguish, psychological harm, embarrassment, anxiety, loss of sleep, nightmares, post-traumatic stress, headaches, need for medical care, need for emotional counseling and loss of reputation,” according to Rolling Stone.

Kardashian’s legal team argued the incident was a simple mistake, noting the image was deleted shortly after it was posted.

“Neither I, nor to the best of my knowledge, anyone on my team knew or believed at the time the February 26 story was posted that the person depicted in the image was Plaintiff and not Mr. Cantu,” Kardashian said.

“I would not have used the image appearing in the February 26 story had I known that it was a picture of the plaintiff and not Mr. Cantu.”

A California Superior Court judge ultimately sided with Kardashian, and the case was dismissed. She later asked the court to order the plaintiff to cover her legal fees.

In his latest motion, Cantu argued that Kardashian was “born and raised in great wealth and luxury,” claiming she is worth approximately $1.9 billion and earns substantial income from sponsored social media posts due to her large following.

He added that while some of her content focuses on social causes, most of her posts promote sponsored products, services, and celebrity news.

Cantu argued Kardashian, not him, was responsible for the mistake.

He also said he is a father of two daughters and does not have the financial means to pay the legal fees.

According to the filing, Kardashian would “easily survive without the $145K” due to her wealth, while forcing him to pay would cause significant financial hardship.

“The lawsuit was misguided to begin with,” one user wrote on X.

“She was advocating for a death row inmate, made a mistake, and used this man’s photo because he shares the same name. He decided to sue because it’s Kim.”