Billy Mitchell Wins $237K in Defamation Suit Against YouTuber

Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured a significant victory in court, winning nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damages after 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 a video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which amassed 500,000 views. The court found that Jobst's video contained defamatory content and made unsubstantiated claims against Mitchell.

Mitchell's reputation in the gaming community was previously challenged in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations of using 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 successfully had his accolades reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, and his high scores were also reinstated by the Guinness World of Records in 2020.

Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has won a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst. Photo by David Greedy/Get

The defamation lawsuit against Jobst, however, was unrelated to Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video allegedly implied that Mitchell's previous lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith led to Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's tragic suicide in 2020. The video also reportedly suggested that Mitchell had expressed joy over Smith's death.

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

Jobst expressed regret for the situation and appreciated the support he received, adding, "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.

Mitchell, who achieved a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, rose to fame through the 2007 documentary, "King of Kong," which documented his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.