A case of mistaken id can price you, particularly if it includes Kim Kardashian.
When Kardashian shared a photograph of a Texas demise row inmate on Instagram to lift questions on his conviction for double homicide, there was just one drawback: She had the flawed man.
Together with his execution date nearing in early 2024, Kardashian posted on Instagram and Fb to lift consciousness about Ivan Cantu, who was convicted of killing his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée. Sadly, the picture she posted featured a distinct Ivan Cantu—one very a lot not behind bars, who was dwelling in Westchester, New York, and dealing as a challenge supervisor. Her social media group had mistakenly pulled his headshot from LinkedIn.
Kardashian’s group corrected the social media flub rapidly, however as a result of the fact TV star-turned-criminal justice advocate is likely one of the world’s most-followed social media figures, the injury was accomplished. A minimum of, that’s what Cantu’s authorized group argued when the Cantu not on demise row sued the celebrity the next yr.
Now, after his lawsuit was thrown out final yr, a decide simply dominated that the still-living Cantu owes the billionaire influencer, actuality TV star, and entrepreneur greater than $167,000 in authorized charges.
Cantu vs. Kardashian
In a civil grievance filed in Los Angeles, the Cantu from New York argued that the incident uncovered him to on-line hate, ridicule, and contempt. “Kardashian revealed and disseminated false details about Cantu that was clearly unfaithful, faulty, unfounded, surprising, scandalous, degrading, disgraceful, and/or shameful,” the grievance acknowledged.
Cantu stated that having one of many world’s most well-known folks hyperlink his likeness to a homicide case brought on emotional misery and broken his fame. He sued for defamation by libel, defamation by slander, false gentle, invasion of privateness, intentional infliction of emotional misery, negligent infliction of emotional misery, and misappropriation of likeness.
Late final yr, the courtroom granted a request by Kardashian’s authorized group to toss out the lawsuit below particular authorized guidelines referred to as anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit in opposition to public participation) legal guidelines, that are designed to dam lawsuits that search to stifle free speech. “The aim of the anti-SLAPP is to ‘weed out, at an early stage [of litigation],’ claims arising from exercise protected by the First Modification to the USA Structure that lack benefit,” the courtroom wrote in its resolution.
In December, Kardashian filed a movement to power Cantu to cowl the authorized charges incurred in coping with the lawsuit. This week, Choose Michael Small granted that movement partly, which means that Cantu is on the hook for the delicate authorized illustration that helped Kardashian prevail in opposition to him:
“Sure, it could appear anomalous that an individual of modest monetary means (as Plaintiff says he’s) must reimburse an individual who has a lot of cash (as Plaintiff says Kardashian has).
“Earnings disparities are, nevertheless, irrelevant to the lawyer’s charges equation below 425.16, subdivision (c)(1). Thus, even when Plaintiff’s funds are dwarfed [by] Kardashian’s, he nonetheless has to pay Kardashian the cheap charges and prices she incurred in connection together with her profitable anti-SLAPP movement.”
In accordance with Monday’s submitting, the courtroom did scale back one portion of the charges Cantu will owe to $38,261, down from $57,107. Sadly, that leaves the invoice at $167,473—a value that’s tough to swallow for anybody who isn’t hanging out within the higher echelons of wealth.
Whereas Kim Okay has discovered herself fighting for the wrongfully accused lately, one irrefutable reality of being a billionaire stays: In the event you come at her in courtroom, you greatest not miss.
