Summary: Billy Mitchell, a legendary figure in arcade gaming, has recently won $230,000 in a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Karl Jobst. Jobst suggested in his video that Mitchell’s legal issues with another YouTuber contributed to that individual’s suicide due to financial distress. A judge determined that Jobst acted with a “reckless disregard for the truth.”
Mitchell is known for his feats in Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, having been featured in various documentaries, including the 2007 film King of Kong. In 2018, he faced allegations of using the open-source emulator MAME instead of original arcade hardware for his Donkey Kong high scores. Consequently, the retro-gaming records organization Twin Galaxies investigated the claims and removed Mitchell’s records, a decision quickly followed by Guinness World Records.
Vowing to vindicate himself, Mitchell threatened to take legal action against both Guinness and Twin Galaxies unless they reinstated his records. In 2020, Guinness restored his record after an investigation, while Twin Galaxies reinstated it in 2024 following a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Mitchell.
In 2021, Australian YouTuber Karl Jobst uploaded a video titled “The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!” asserting that one of Mitchell’s lawsuits against the late Benjamin Smith (also known as Apollo Legend) resulted in a settlement where Smith allegedly paid Mitchell a substantial amount, which contributed to Smith’s 2020 suicide.
Jobst’s video further alleged that Mitchell had “expressed joy at the thought” of Smith’s death.
Mitchell subsequently filed a lawsuit against Jobst concerning the claims in the video, which garnered over 500,000 views. Judge Ken Barlow from the Brisbane District Court awarded Mitchell AU$350,000 (approximately $230,000) in damages after the trial late last year.
“Clearly he wanted to be the knight who slayed the Mitchell dragon,” remarked the judge. “His lance was not as strong as he thought it to be.”
The judge noted that the 2020 settlement between Mitchell and Smith did not involve any financial compensation. Instead, Smith was instructed to delete all YouTube videos and social media posts related to Mitchell, transfer copyright of those videos to Mitchell, and cease publishing anything about Mitchell, under threat of a $25,000 fine for each violation.
Initially, Jobst claimed that Smith was compelled to pay Mitchell $1 million. Jobst edited the video several times while it was live, once after Mitchell indicated intent to sue and again following confirmation from Smith’s brother that no money was exchanged in the settlement.
Jobst had also produced videos critiquing the cheating accusations against Mitchell, though the judge stated it was not his place to ascertain the veracity of those claims.
“(Jobst) seems to see himself as a crusader against Mr. Mitchell – one of the last individuals sued by Mr. Mitchell and the only one who has not retreated,” the judge observed.
I lost. 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.
I know many of you will be upset with this and I am sorry for…
– Karl Jobst (@karljobstgaming) April 1, 2025
The judge also referenced an interview where Jobst stated, “Billy Mitchell needs to be destroyed in court […] I am the last chance for the public to punish Billy.”
Nothing like the smell of victory in the evening air.
– Billy Mitchell (@BillyPacman) March 31, 2025
The judge indicated he could have awarded Mitchell more than the AU$50,000 for aggravated damages (with an additional AU$300,000 for non-economic loss), but he settled on the amount that Mitchell requested.
Jobst expressed on Twitter that the case would be “an amazing experience.” When asked outside the court how he planned to cover the damages, he replied, “with money.”
