Kim Kardashian has officially scored a major legal victory after a court ordered a man who sued her over a mistaken social media post to pay more than $167,000 in legal fees. The lawsuit stemmed from a February 2024 incident in which Kardashian accidentally posted a photo of the wrong Ivan Cantu while advocating for criminal justice reform online.
According to court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail, the reality star was awarded $167,473.69 after Ivan Cantu’s defamation lawsuit against her was dismissed. The man Kardashian mistakenly identified shared the same name as a Texas death row inmate who had recently been executed following a conviction in a 2000 double murder.
Although Kardashian quickly deleted the image and later described the mix-up as an honest mistake, Cantu sued the SKIMS founder, claiming the post damaged his reputation and caused emotional distress.
Kardashian’s Legal Team Called Lawsuit ‘Clearly Meritless’
Cantu originally filed the lawsuit in 2024, accusing Kardashian of having “published and disseminated false information” about him. He argued in court filings that the social media post was “clearly untrue, erroneous, unfounded, shocking, scandalous, degrading, disgraceful, and/or shameful.”
However, the case was dismissed last November after a federal judge ruled that Cantu failed to show evidence that he suffered actual harm from the mistaken post. That dismissal later opened the door for Kardashian to seek reimbursement for her legal fees.
According to court filings, Kardashian’s attorneys argued that Cantu brought “a clearly meritless lawsuit” against the billionaire reality star after what they described as a “simple mistake.” Her legal team also argued that Cantu was attempting to punish Kardashian for speaking publicly about criminal justice reform issues.
Cantu allegedly “thought he could force a payout based on her celebrity and wealth … but his gambit failed, and now he refuses to accept the consequences of his actions,” Kardashian’s lawyers wrote.
Judge Rejected Argument About Kim Kardashian’s Wealth
During the legal battle over attorney fees, Cantu argued that forcing him to pay Kardashian’s legal bills would financially destroy him, especially given the massive gap between their personal fortunes.
Court filings noted that Kardashian’s net worth has been estimated at more than $1.9 billion. But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Small ultimately rejected the argument, ruling that Kardashian’s wealth was legally irrelevant.
The judge reportedly stated that while it may appear unusual “that a person of modest financial means” would have to reimburse someone as wealthy as Kardashian, financial disparities do not impact California’s mandatory attorney fee statutes.
Judge Small did, however, reduce a portion of Kardashian’s requested legal fees tied to what is known as “fees upon fees,” cutting that amount by roughly one-third. Even with the reduction, Kardashian was still awarded more than $167,000.
Ivan Cantu Claimed Kardashian ‘Destroyed’ His Privacy
Throughout the case, Cantu maintained that Kardashian’s social media mistake caused lasting emotional and reputational harm. In legal filings, he argued Kardashian “labeled him a criminal to her 350+ million followers … at a very sensitive time in his life, causing anxiety and depression.”
His attorney, Greg Sobo, also blasted Kardashian publicly throughout the case, arguing that celebrities should be held accountable for mistakes made on social media platforms. “For too long, we have seen social media cause devastating injuries to innocent victims,” Sobo previously said. “Social media is too often abused to bully the innocent, incite harm, and injure our communities.”
The lawyer added, “Just like those who cause physical harm should be held accountable, those who cause injuries to innocent victims through social media must also be held responsible.”
Sobo also accused Kardashian of attempting to weaponize her wealth after the lawsuit was dismissed. “Having wrongfully and publicly accused an innocent man of a crime he did not commit, causing him anxiety and suffering, she now attempts to use her wealth and power to take further advantage of the judicial system by collecting an inflated judgment that is meaningless to her,” he said.
Kim Kardashian Previously Called The Incident An Honest Mistake
Attorneys for Kardashian previously defended the situation as an accidental mix-up tied to her advocacy work in criminal justice reform. They stated the photo was removed “almost immediately once the error was discovered.”
Following the original dismissal of the case, Kardashian’s attorneys also said they were “pleased with the court’s ruling” and appreciated its “recognition that an honest mistake committed in the course of Ms. Kardashian’s exercise of free speech does not serve as the basis for meritless litigation.”
