Looks like Kanye West's bullying may cost him in court ... because he's been slapped with a lawsuit over a pic he used to troll a Vogue editor.
In case ya forgot -- Ye went after a contributing editor for Vogue named Gabriella Karefa-Johnson amid his various rants last year ... after she called his "White Lives Matter" shirt "dangerous" and "irresponsible."
Kanye blasted Gabriella by posting a photo of her and saying she's "not a fashion person" -- but according to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the pic was snapped by professional photog Michaela Efford, and she says she didn't give the rapper permission to swipe her work for his roast session.
Michaela says she snapped Gabriella's photo in September and notes Kanye used the pic on his social media about 1 week later without her permission.
She says by Kanye posting the photo without her permission has harmed her ability to market and make money off the snapshot ... and she's now seeking unspecified damages over it.