Billy Mitchell Wins $237K in Defamation Suit Against YouTuber

Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has been awarded nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damages following a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst. As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst, known for his content on competitive and speedrunning gaming, featured Mitchell in his video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which garnered over 500,000 views. A court determined that Jobst's video contained defamatory, inaccurate, and unsubstantiated claims against Mitchell.

Mitchell's gaming accolades came under scrutiny in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards amid allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of authentic arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After six years of defending his records, Mitchell succeeded in having his achievements reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, and his high scores were also revalidated by the Guinness World Records in 2020.

However, Mitchell's defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not directly related to the validity of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell claimed that Jobst's 2021 video wrongly suggested that his previous legal action against another YouTuber, Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, led to Smith having to pay $1 million in damages and played a role in Smith's tragic suicide in 2020. Additionally, the video allegedly implied that Mitchell had expressed pleasure at the thought of Smith's suicide.

Following legal threats from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video. It was later confirmed by Smith's brother that no money had been exchanged. Jobst admitted defeat on X/Twitter, clarifying that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his claims about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources." He expressed regret and gratitude for the support he received, emphasizing his commitment to repaying his supporters and standing firm against what he perceived as bullying.

The judge awarded Mitchell $187,800 (AU$300,000) in damages for non-economic loss, $31,300 (AU$50,000) in aggravated damages, and $22,000 (AU$34,668.50) in interest, totaling approximately $241,000. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been justified in receiving more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages, but awarded the amount Mitchell sought.

Mitchell first gained fame in the arcade gaming community for achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, and his rivalry with Steve Wiebe was highlighted in the 2007 documentary, King of Kong.