Billy Mitchell Triumphs in $237K 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 successful 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 over 500,000 views. The court determined that Jobst's video contained defamatory, inaccurate, and unsubstantiated claims against Mitchell.

Mitchell's gaming accolades faced scrutiny in 2018 when his high scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards amid allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of arcade cabinets to achieve records in games such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After defending his records for six years, Mitchell's scores were reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website and also by the Guinness World 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, Mitchell's lawsuit against Jobst was not about the validity of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, it stemmed from claims made in Jobst's 2021 video, which suggested that Mitchell's previous legal action against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith led to Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to his suicide in 2020. The video also alleged that Mitchell expressed pleasure at the thought of Smith's suicide. Jobst later revised the video after legal threats from Mitchell, and Smith's brother confirmed that no financial settlement was paid.

Jobst acknowledged the court's decision on X/Twitter, stating, "I lost. 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 statements about Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources." Jobst expressed regret and gratitude for the support he received, vowing to continue his work to repay his audience.

In a subsequent update, Jobst reaffirmed his commitment to free expression, saying, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression."

The court 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. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been awarded more in aggravated damages but adhered to the amount Mitchell sought.

Mitchell gained fame in the arcade gaming community for achieving a 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.