Billy Mitchell Triumphs in $237K Defamation Suit Against YouTuber

Arcade gamer Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has secured a significant legal victory, 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 but contained inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims about Mitchell, leading to a court ruling in Mitchell's favor.

Mitchell, famously known as the "King of Kong," faced a setback in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards due to allegations of using a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) rather than arcade cabinets to achieve records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. However, after a six-year battle, Mitchell managed to have his accolades reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website, and his high scores were also recognized again by the Guinness World of Records in 2020.

The defamation lawsuit against Jobst stemmed not from the controversy over Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores, but from claims made in Jobst's 2021 video. The video implied that Mitchell's previous lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith led to Smith having to pay $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. It also suggested Mitchell had "expressed joy at the thought" of Smith's suicide. Jobst later edited the video following legal threats from Mitchell, and Smith's brother confirmed no money was paid.

Jobst admitted defeat on X/Twitter, clarifying that he did not accuse Mitchell of cheating and that his claims about Smith were based on incorrect information from multiple sources. Despite the loss, Jobst remained defiant, stating, "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression."

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 seeking more than AU$50,000 in aggravated damages but awarded the amount requested.

Mitchell, who achieved a perfect score in Pac-Man in the '80s, became widely recognized through the 2007 documentary, "King of Kong," which highlighted his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.