Kim Kardashian is being sued for defamation by a Morgan Stanley worker after she falsely-identified him as a death row double murderer. 

The 44-year-old reality star posted a picture of a man named Ivan Cantu, 60, a project manager from Westchester, on her social media account last February.

The intention behind the post seemed to be to bring attention to a death row inmate in Texas who shared the same name and was executed shortly after.

Subsequently, attorneys representing the innocent Ivan Cantu have taken legal action against Kardashian, alleging libel and slander due to the confusion caused by the mix-up, which resulted in significant emotional distress for him.

Cantu’s attorney Greg Sobo says in the suit that at the time of her posting she had over 350 million followers on her Instagram, when she made the defamatory post to her story. 

Defamation is classed as a false statement that harms someone’s reputation, either in written terms, libel, or spoken, slander. 

Cantu’s lawyers say there are few worse ways to harm someone’s reputation than to wrongly accuse them of murdering two people.  

The suit claims that Kardashian intentionally shared the post, and was ‘negligent, reckless and/or violated standards of ethics and decency.’

Cantu is said to have suffered from embarrassment, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and counseling as a result of her actions. 

Speaking with DailyMail.com after filing the suit on Thursday, Sobo added that he also been grieving a close family member at the time, which was amplified. 

Kardashian, seen here last April, made the post to her social media page which identified Cantu as a death row inmate

Cantu, seen here, has now filed a lawsuit claiming the post libel and slanderous to his character, adding that it left him emotionally distressed

Her post said: ‘The state will execute Ivan Cantu in 2 days. Please sign the petition to demand that Collin County DA Greg Willis request to withdraw the execution date.’

This photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, shows death row inmate Ivan Cantu, who long claimed his innocence

Alongside the text and link to the petition, she also shared an image of the wrong Ivan Cantu – who later had to post on Facebook in an attempt to calm the situation. 

He said: ‘To all my friends and family, I am not getting executed, some idiot who runs @kimkardashian used my picture of Ivan ‘Abner’ Cantu.’

The suit says that the post exposed Cantu to ‘hatred, contempt, ridicule and obloquy’ due to his association with the double murder connected to the Texas inmate.

The post was ‘libelous and false’, the suit added and caused injury to both his reputation and profession.

In the filing his lawyers have also demanded a jury trial and are after compensatory damages. 

Cantu had to post to his own social media after being confused with the death row inmate

Alongside the text and link to the petition, she also shared an image of Cantu which is seen here

‘Social media is too often abused to bully the innocent, incite harm, and injure our communities,’ Cantu’s lawyer Greg Sobo told DailyMail.com. 

‘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.’

According to Cantu’s LinkedIn profile he is a Senior Project Manager for Oliver Agency at Morgan Stanley. 

Kardashian’s lawyer Michael Rhodes responded to the lawsuit telling DailyMail.com that the post was a mistake that was swiftly removed. 

He said: ‘It was a simple mistake of using the public photo of another man with the same name to promote Kim’s longstanding commitment to the cause of criminal justice reform. 

‘The image was taken down almost immediately once the error was discovered. We’d prefer to solve this without litigation, but of course will defend Kim as needed.’

Cantu hasn’t specified how much he is seeking in damages. Forbes estimates Kardashian’s net worth at $1.7 billion dollars, meaning he’ll likely seek a hefty amount. 

Kardashian has been passionate about criminal justice and the law, as for the past few years, she has been studying to become a lawyer, following in the footsteps of her late father Robert Kardashian, who was a member of O.J. Simpson’s legal defense team in his murder trial.

She was instrumental in the 2018 prison release of Alice Marie Johnson, following a pardon from then-President Donald Trump. 

Johnson had been sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense as result of her 1996 conviction in a drug trafficking ring.

Kardashian speaks alongside President Trump during a second chance hiring and criminal justice reform event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, June 13, 2019 

She had been seemingly attempt to raise awareness of then Texas death row inmate Ivan Cantu, who was executed in the days after the post for a double murder 

Kardashian posted to her X profile after Cantu was executed for the death of his cousin and his cousin’s girlfriend

Just days after the post, Ivan Cantu was executed by authorities in Texas after being put on death row for the death of his cousin James Mosqueda and his cousin’s girlfriend Amy Kitchen.  

In final words from the execution chamber, the 50-year-old inmate said several times that he was innocent.

‘I want you to know that I never killed James and Amy,’ he told relatives and a friend of Kitchen who stood feet away from him while watching through a window. 

‘And if I did, if I knew who did, you would’ve been the first to know any information.’

He said he wanted them to know he didn’t think his death ‘will bring you closure. If it does, if this is what it takes or have any reservations off in your mind, then so be it.’ 

After his passing, Kardashian posted on X saying: ‘Ivan Cantu was executed. Someone I believe is an innocent man. My prayers go out to his family and loved ones and everyone involved.’ 

Prosecutors had said Cantu killed Mosqueda, who dealt illegal drugs, and Kitchen as he tried to steal cocaine, marijuana and cash from his cousin´s north Dallas home. 

The inmate, who was convicted in 2001, had long claimed a rival drug dealer killed his cousin in a dispute over money.