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 after successfully suing Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst for defamation. As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst's video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" garnered 500,000 views and was found by the court to contain defamatory, inaccurate, and unsubstantiated claims against Mitchell.

Mitchell's gaming achievements came under scrutiny in 2018 when his 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 like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a prolonged defense of his records, Mitchell succeeded in having them reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' site, and his high scores were also recognized again by the Guinness World Records in 2020.

However, the defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not about the validity of Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because Jobst's 2021 video suggested that Mitchell's earlier lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith led to Smith paying $1 million in damages and contributed to his tragic suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly implied that Mitchell had taken pleasure in Smith's death.

After Mitchell's legal threat, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother confirmed that no financial settlement had been made. Jobst admitted defeat on X/Twitter, acknowledging the judge's decision to find Mitchell credible and clarifying that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating, but rather relied on incorrect information about Smith.

"I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony," Jobst stated, adding, "From that point on unfortunately there was really nothing that could have saved me. I will now obviously consider my options."

Expressing regret to his supporters, Jobst vowed to work hard to repay their support and took pride in standing up against what he perceived as bullying and defending his right to free expression.

The court 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 approximately $241,000. The judge noted that Mitchell could have been justified in seeking more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages but awarded the amount Mitchell requested.

Mitchell gained fame in the gaming world after achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man in the 1980s and was further highlighted in the 2007 documentary, "King of Kong," which documented his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.