Yorktown Resident Sues Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian posted the above on her Instagram account. It was viewed by 350 million people, but it had the wrong photo.
By Dan Murphy
“To all my friends and family, I am not getting executed. Some idiot who runs @KimKardashian used my picture instead of Ivan “Abner” Cantu.”
This is the message that Yorktown resident Ivan Cantu was forced to post after Kim Kardashian posted his photo on Instagram, which went out to her 350 million followers.
Kardashian, an advocate for prison reform and the death penalty, attempted to bring awareness to the case of another, Ivan Cantu, a death row inmate who was convicted of murdering his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée. Inmate Ivan Cantu was executed last year.
Cantu has hired the LA law firm Sobo & Sobo to represent him and sue Kardashian. The press release reads, “Sobo & Sobo filed against Kim Kardashian for serious injuries she inflicted through her Instagram account. The lawsuit includes six counts, including libel, slander, and invasion of privacy. The case is being filed in the Superior Court in Los Angeles, the largest trial court in the United States.
“The primary purpose of the lawsuit is to help the social media environment become a safer place with more responsibility. The Plaintiff in the lawsuit, Ivan Cantu, suffered serious emotional damage from Kim Kardashian making a libelous post about him on her Instagram page.
“According to the lawsuit, Kim Kardashian violated Cantu’s right to privacy and civil liberty by posting a false story about him to over 350 million people on her Instagram page. Kim Kardashian’s post drew much criticism in the social media community because it falsely alleged that Cantu was a convicted murderer on death row. As a result, Mr. Cantu suffered serious emotional damage, including a diagnosis of depression, post-traumatic stress, and social anxiety. The lawsuit emphasizes the importance of using social media responsibly.
“Greg Sobo, Esq., Founder and CEO of Sobo & Sobo, said, “For too long, we have seen social media cause devastating injuries to innocent victims. Social media is too often abused to bully the innocent, incite harm, and injure our communities. 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. If anyone should know the power of social media, it is Ms. Kim Kardashian.” end of release.
Kardashian’s attorney said that she made a “simple mistake” and that the image was taken down almost immediately once the error was discovered,” adding that they would prefer to solve the matter without litigation.
Sobo called Cantu a “very private family man with two daughters” who was grieving a loss when Kardashian made her post.
The case is interesting and poses a few legal questions.
Mr. Cantu was not a public figure before this incident.
Mr. Cantu does have some suffering due to the millions of Instagrammers who follow Kim K.
Kim Kardashian and whoever posted the Cantu error almost certainly did not intentionally post the wrong photo.
A settlement could be costly. Some estimates have Kim K’s net worth at $1.7 BILLION.
