Kim Kardashian is demanding a man, who unsuccessfully sued the reality star over alleged emotional distress, pay her a six-figure sum to cover her legal bills, Us Weekly can exclusively report.
On Tuesday, December 16, Kardashian, estimated to have a net worth of over $1 billion, filed court documents demanding that Ivan Cantu, who lost his lawsuit against her weeks ago, cover the $145,000 in legal fees and other costs she spent on lawyers to defend herself.
Kardashian’s main lawyer, Emil Petrossian, charged $900 per hour of work on the case (reduced from her normal fee of $1,100 per hour) and another associate, Alina Gatto, earned $600 per hour.
The judge has yet to rule on Kardashian’s request.
Kardashian’s request comes after a judge sided with her on November 14 by dismissing all of Cantu’s claims.
A star-studded love life. Kim Kardashian‘s personal life has been in the spotlight for decades, no matter who she’s dated or married. Since 2000, Kardashian has been married three times. At only 19, she married producer Damon Thomas, who was 10 years older than her. The marriage lasted three years until she called it quits […]
As Us previously reported, Cantu, based in New York, sued Kardashian in February.
He claimed the reality star started posting photos of him on social media when she meant to post photos of a Texas man with the same name, Ivan Cantu, who was convicted of murder in 2001 and sentenced to death.
Kardashian, 45, became vocal about the prisoner in early 2024. She started to call for his execution to be stayed.
Kardashian’s attorney explained, “[Kardashian] played an important role in advocating for Mr. Cantu. Over the course of approximately ten days in February 2024, [Kardashian] and her team posted a series of ‘stories’ regarding Mr. Cantu — approximately 16 in all — on [Kardashian’s] Instagram account. Of these 16 stories, one story posted two days before Mr. Cantu’s execution mistakenly used an image of the plaintiff in this action, a New York-based project manager whose name is also Ivan Cantu.”
Kim Kardashian Marleen Moise/Getty Images
The prisoner whom Kardashian was posting about ended up being executed on February 28, 2024.
In his complaint, the New York-based Cantu claimed Kardashian’s posts with his photo caused him emotional distress and loss of sleep. He also claimed he experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.
In her response, the reality mogul claimed the lawsuit had no merit. Kardashian said her team discovered the mistake within hours of the post being made and immediately deleted it. Kardashian said she also apologized to the New York man for the issue.
Kardashian adamantly denied wrongdoing. Her lawsuit argued, “This lawsuit is an attempt to cash in on a mistake that occurred in connection with, and as a direct result of, [Kardashian’s] exercise of her constitutional rights of free speech and petition.”
The reality mogul filed a declaration as part of her motion. She said, “Over the past eight years, I have used my resources and public platform to advocate for criminal justice reform and a fairer legal system, including a focus on clemency and exoneration of individuals who were wrongfully convicted or subjected to disproportionate sentences.”
She added, “My work advocating for criminal justice reform is solely based on my personal desire to use my voice to fight for people who may not have a voice and to drive systemic change. I engage in this work because I am passionate about it and without any commercial benefit or intent.”
In a court declaration, Kardashian explained how she got involved in trying to help the prisoner.
Kim Kardashian revealed who was threatening her from prison — and whether the hit out on her life was legitimate. During the Thursday, November 13, episode of The Kardashians, Kim, 45, discussed the “life-alterating” revelation that her life was in danger. “Someone from prison was like, ‘This person put a hit out on your life.’ […]
“I was moved by Mr. Cantu’s story and his steadfast claim of innocence. I was also troubled by what I understood to be serious problems with Mr. Cantu’s conviction,” she said.
Kardashian also addressed the wrong photo being posted on her Instagram.
“The use of Plaintiff’s image in the February 26 Story was a mistake and was not done intentionally,” she said.I would not have used the image appearing in the February 26 Story had I known that it was a picture of Plaintiff and not Mr. Cantu.”
As Us previously reported, Kardashian is also in the middle of a legal battle with her ex, Ray J.
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