Billy Mitchell Triumphs in $237K Defamation Suit Against YouTuber

Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured a significant legal victory, 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 garnered 500,000 views. The court found that Jobst's video defamed Mitchell by including inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims.

Mitchell's gaming accolades came under scrutiny in 2018 when he was stripped of his title after allegations surfaced that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) rather than arcade cabinets to achieve his record scores in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his scores reinstated as part of a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, which tracks competitive gaming records. Additionally, his high scores were reinstated 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 legitimacy of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video allegedly 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 suicide in 2020. The video also reportedly suggested that Mitchell had expressed joy at the thought of Smith's suicide.

In response to Mitchell's legal threat, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed that no money had been paid. Jobst acknowledged the court's ruling 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."

Jobst expressed his disappointment but remained defiant, saying, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression." He was ordered 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.

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