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

Arcade gaming legend Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell has successfully won a defamation lawsuit against Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst, securing nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damages. As reported by PC Gamer, Jobst, known for his content on competitive and speedrunning gaming, featured Mitchell in his video titled "The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!" which garnered over 500,000 views. The court determined that the video defamed Mitchell with inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims.

Mitchell, dubbed the "King of Kong," faced controversy in 2018 when his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards amid allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) instead of traditional arcade cabinets to achieve his records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. This practice is strictly prohibited. After a six-year battle to defend his records, Mitchell successfully had his accolades reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website. 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 defamation lawsuit against Jobst was not related to the legitimacy of his Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell claimed that Jobst's 2021 video falsely suggested that his previous lawsuit against another YouTuber, Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith, led to Smith having to pay $1 million in damages and contributed to Smith's tragic suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly implied that Mitchell had "expressed joy at the thought" of Smith's suicide.

In response to Mitchell's legal threat, Jobst edited his video. Smith's brother later confirmed that no money had been paid. Jobst acknowledged his loss on X/Twitter, stating that the judge found Mitchell to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony. Jobst 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 and apologized to his supporters, promising to work hard to repay their support. He emphasized his pride in standing up against what he perceived as bullying and defending his right to free expression.

The judge ordered Jobst to pay $187,800 (AU$300,000) for non-economic loss damages, $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 might have been justified in receiving even more in aggravated damages but adhered to the amount sought by Mitchell.

Mitchell's fame escalated in the '80s after achieving a perfect score in Pac-Man, and he became widely recognized through the 2007 documentary "King of Kong," which chronicled his rivalry with Steve Wiebe.