Billy Mitchell Wins $237K in Defamation Suit Against YouTuber Karl Jobst

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 following 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 over 500,000 views. The court determined that Jobst's video contained defamatory content, including inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell.

Mitchell's gaming accolades came under scrutiny in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) rather than arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a six-year battle, Mitchell successfully had his scores reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website and by the Guinness World Records in 2020.

The defamation lawsuit against Jobst, however, was not related to the legitimacy of Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action over claims made in Jobst's 2021 video, which suggested that Mitchell's prior lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith resulted in Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly implied that Mitchell had "expressed joy at the thought" of Smith's suicide.

After receiving a legal threat from Mitchell, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother later confirmed that no money had been paid. Jobst admitted 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 his loss, Jobst expressed pride in standing up to what he perceived as bullying and vowed to continue supporting his community.

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 remarked that Mitchell "may well have been justified in being ordered to pay more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages, but that is the amount being sought by Mr Mitchell and that is the amount I shall award."

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