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's video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" garnered over 500,000 views and was deemed defamatory by the court for containing inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell.

Mitchell's journey has been tumultuous. In 2018, his records were initially removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets to achieve his high scores in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr., which violated the rules. However, after a six-year battle, Mitchell successfully had his accolades reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' site, and his 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/Getty Images.

The defamation lawsuit against Jobst stemmed from a 2021 video where Jobst 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 suggested that Mitchell took pleasure in Smith's death. After legal threats from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother later confirmed no money had changed hands.

Jobst acknowledged his defeat on X/Twitter, stating, "I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony." He clarified that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his claims about Smith were based on incorrect information from multiple sources. Despite the setback, Jobst expressed pride in standing up for his freedom of expression and promised to explore his options moving forward.

The judge awarded Mitchell $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. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been justified in seeking more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages, but the awarded amount was based on Mitchell's request.

Mitchell, known for his perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, gained widespread recognition through the 2007 documentary "King of Kong," which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.