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

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's video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which garnered 500,000 views, was found to contain defamatory statements about Mitchell, including inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims.

Mitchell's reputation 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) instead of arcade cabinets to achieve records in games such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a six-year battle to defend his records, Mitchell's accolades were reinstated in Twin Galaxies' "historical database," and his high scores were also recognized again 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 defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not related to the legitimacy of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell claimed that Jobst's 2021 video wrongly suggested that his previous 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 Mitchell threatened legal action, Jobst edited the video, and Smith's brother 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," and clarified that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating but relied on "incorrect information from multiple sources" regarding Smith.

Despite his loss, Jobst expressed pride in standing up against what he perceived as bullying, saying, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression."

The judge ordered Jobst to pay $187,800 (AU$300,000) in damages 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 "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, known for achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, gained widespread recognition through the 2007 documentary "King of Kong," which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.