Billy "King of Kong" Mitchell won a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber and speedrunner Karl Jobst. The ruling by a Brisbane court reached the decision that Jobst had defamed Mitchell in a 2021 video titled 'The Biggest Conmen In Video Game History Strike Again!'. Jobst will have to pay him over $275,000 in damages, according to The Guardian.
Jobst's video initially alleged that Mitchell cheated to obtain his high "Donkey Kong" and "Pac Man" scores. However, the central part of Mitchell's defamation lawsuit targeted Jobst's allegations that Mitchell's 2020 lawsuit against Youtuber Benjamin 'Apollo Legend' led to his suicide.
Smith committed suicide in December 2020. Smith had recorded videos calling Mitchell's Donkey Kong and Pac Man records into question. Both Smith and Mitchell came to a settlement where Smith had to take down the videos discussing Mitchell.
Jobst's video also alleged a settlement for $1 million in damages paid by Smith. Smith's brother cleared this up and noted that no money was spent, and Jobst later edited the video to retract the statement.
Mitchell's records were redacted by Guinness World Records and Twin Galaxies after a 2017 investigation into whether the champion used emulated software. He then threatened to sue both entities for defamation if the records weren't restored. Guinness reinstated the records in 2020 after they noted they couldn't find conclusive evidence of cheating by Mitchell. Twin Galaxies and M itchell settled their cases in 2024, and his scores were later restored.
Jobst has been ordered to pay $300,000 in noneconomic damages, $50,000 in aggravated damages, and over $40,000 in interest, which amounts to roughly $275,000 in U.S. dollars.
"I lost," said Jobst on his X account after the ruling. "The judge found Billy to be a credible witness and believed his entire testimony. From that point on, unfortunately, there was really nothing that could have saved me. I will now obviously consider my options."
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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com
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