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 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 the video defamed Mitchell and contained inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims.

Mitchell's gaming accolades were previously in question when, in 2018, his scores were removed from Twin Galaxies' leaderboards amid allegations that he used a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) rather than arcade cabinets to set records in games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong Jr. After a prolonged defense of his records, Mitchell succeeded in having his scores reinstated in a "historical database" on Twin Galaxies' website. Additionally, his high scores were 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.

The defamation lawsuit against Jobst, however, was not related to the validity of Mitchell's Donkey Kong scores. Instead, Mitchell took legal action because he claimed that Jobst's 2021 video falsely implied that Mitchell's prior lawsuit against YouTuber Benjamin "Apollo Legend" Smith had resulted in Smith owing $1 million in damages and had contributed to Smith's suicide in 2020. The video also allegedly suggested that Mitchell had taken pleasure in the thought of Smith's suicide.

After Mitchell threatened legal action, Jobst edited the video, and it was later confirmed by Smith's brother that no money had been paid. Jobst took to X/Twitter to acknowledge the court's decision, clarifying that he had not accused Mitchell of cheating and that his claims regarding Smith were based on "incorrect information from multiple sources."

"I lost. The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony," Jobst stated, adding that there was little he could do to change the outcome. He expressed regret to his supporters and vowed to work hard to repay their support. "I am proud that I never backed down and never allowed a bully to control my free expression," he concluded in a subsequent update.

The court ordered Jobst to pay 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 Mitchell requested.

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