Billionaire Kim Kardashian Called Out for $145K Demand in Court

The man who lost his lawsuit against Kim Kardashian -- after he said her misidentification caused him emotional distress -- is begging a judge not to force him to pay the billionaire’s legal bills ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Ivan Cantu -- who was shut down in his battle with Kim over an Instagram post she made -- is fighting her request that he pay the legal fees she racked up fighting him in court.

Ivan sued Kim after she made a post on social media about a man with the same name who was convicted of murder and was sitting on death row. Kardashian was pushing for the man's execution to be put on pause.

In his lawsuit, Ivan said Kim used his photo when talking about the death row inmate and claimed he had suffered damages. Her lawyer said it was a simple mistake and that she immediately deleted it after learning it was the wrong photo.

A federal judge sided with Kim and dismissed the case. Kim then asked the court for $145K in legal fees and costs.

In his new motion, Ivan claimed Kim was “born and raised in great wealth and luxury,” saying she is reportedly worth approximately $1.9 billion and “enjoys substantial income and wealth through sponsors of her social media posts due to a large number of followers.”

He says “While some of her posts may concern social causes, most of her posts published sponsored products and services and celebrity news." Ivan says Kim was the one who made the mistake, not him.

He says he is a caring father of two daughters who doesn’t have the funds to pay Kim’s six-figure legal bill.