Kim Kardashian has scored legal victory over accidental Instagram photo

Kim Kardashian just scored a huge victory in her legal battle with a man who sued her over accidentally posting his photo on social media.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ on Monday (11 May), the 45-year-old reality TV star was awarded a whopping $167,000 out of the $186,000 she requested in legal fees from Ivan Cantu.

For those unfamiliar with the case, Cantu took Kim to court in February 2025, filing a $145,000 defamation lawsuit against her because she mistook him for being a Death Row inmate who shared the same name in a advocacy post she made online.

He accused the mother-of-four of public ridicule and reputational harm after she shared a photo of Cantu with her millions of Instagram followers.

The Kardashian believed she was posting a picture of a death row inmate in Texas, who maintained his innocence for more than 20 years, whom she was advocating for as an activist in prison reform.

Kim Kardashian has been awarded $167,000 in legal fees (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

However, the photo she posted was actually of a different Ivan Cantu from New York.

Despite deleting the photo and issuing a swift public apology, Cantu took the issue to court and sued for defamation.

He accused the star of causing ‘emotional and mental anguish’ by posting his photo.

Kardashian’s lawyer Michael Rhodes told Us Weekly in a statement in February 2025: “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 Ivan Cantu who was on Death Row was executed in February 2024 (Texas Department of Criminal Justice)

"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.”

Kim’s legal team also argues that Cantu had hoped to secure a payout due to her celebrity status. But Cantu was unsuccessful, and the case was thrown out by a judge in November 2025.

Weeks later, Kim filed paperwork demanding that Cantu cover her legal fees from the court case - something he tried to stop as he claimed it would financially ruin him.

He also argued that the Skims founder didn’t need the money due to her wealth, but again, the judge has sided with Kim.

Ivan Cantu filed the initial lawsuit in February last year and it was thrown out in November (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

Cantu's lawyer Greg Sobo has since spoken out on the ruling, telling the Daily Mail this week that the 'ruling is not consistent with California law and is certain to be overturned.'

He added, "We are proud to stand by Ivan Cantu, an innocent victim who was slandered. Monday's ruling is simply one step in the process of obtaining justice against the rich and powerful."

The other Ivan Cantu, whom Kim thought she was initially picturing, was found guilty of murdering his cousin and his fiancée in 2001, and was executed on 28 February 2024 - despite the public campaign to reconsider the decision after a witness recanted their testimony.

Tyla has contacted a representative for Kim and Cantu's lawyer for comment.