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

Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured 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's video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which garnered over 500,000 views, was deemed by the court to contain defamatory, inaccurate, and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell.

Mitchell's gaming accolades came under scrutiny in 2018 when his scores were removed from the Twin Galaxies leaderboards amid allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of authentic arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. However, after a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his records reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, and his high scores were also recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.

The defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not related to the validity of Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores but rather stemmed from Jobst's video, which Mitchell claimed falsely suggested that his prior lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith resulted in Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. Additionally, the video allegedly implied Mitchell had "expressed joy at the thought" of Smith's suicide.

In response to Mitchell's legal threats, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed that no money had been paid. Jobst later took to X/Twitter to acknowledge the court's decision, 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 right to free expression and promised to consider his options moving forward. He thanked his supporters and vowed to work hard to repay their support.

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 receiving more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages, but the awarded amount was based on Mitchell's request.

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