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 a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst. The ruling, as reported by PC Gamer, stemmed from a video Jobst posted titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which garnered 500,000 views. The court found that the 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 arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a prolonged defense of his records, Mitchell succeeded in having his scores reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website and 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/Getty Images.

However, the defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not about the validity of Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video suggested that Mitchell's earlier lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith forced Smith to pay $1 million in damages and may have contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly implied that Mitchell had expressed pleasure at the thought of Smith's suicide.

Following legal threats from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video, and it was later confirmed by Smith's brother that no money had been paid. Jobst acknowledged his defeat on X/Twitter, clarifying that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his statements about Smith were based on incorrect information from multiple sources.

"I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony," Jobst stated, adding that he would consider his options moving forward. He expressed regret to his supporters and vowed to work hard to make amends, emphasizing his pride in standing up against what he perceived as bullying.

The judge ordered Jobst to pay $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 justified a higher amount in aggravated damages but awarded the amount Mitchell sought.

Mitchell, who achieved a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, gained widespread recognition through the 2007 documentary, King of Kong, which chronicled his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.