Billy Mitchell Wins $237K in Defamation Suit Against YouTuber

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

Mitchell, famously known as the "King of Kong," faced controversy in 2018 when his high scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets to achieve records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his records reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website and had his high scores recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.

Mitchell's defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not related to the validity of his Donkey Kong scores but rather to claims made in Jobst's 2021 video. The video allegedly implied that Mitchell's prior lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith forced Smith to pay $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. Additionally, it was reported that the video suggested Mitchell had "expressed joy at the thought" of Smith's suicide.

After receiving legal threats from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed that no money had been paid. Jobst admitted on X/Twitter that he lost the case, stating, "The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony." He emphasized that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his claims about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources."

Jobst expressed regret over the outcome and thanked his supporters, stating, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression." The judge ordered Jobst to pay $187,800 (AU$300,000) for non-economic loss, $31,300 (AU$50,000) for aggravated damages, and $22,000 (AU$34,668.50) in interest, totaling around $241,000.

Billy Mitchell rose to fame in the arcade gaming world with his perfect score in Pac-Man during the '80s and was further highlighted in the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which documented his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.