A Brisbane district court has ordered Queensland-based YouTuber Karl Jobst to pay $350,000 plus interest and costs to American gaming icon William “Billy” Mitchell in a defamation case. The ruling centers on false claims made in a 2021 YouTube video linking Mitchell to another content creator’s suicide.

As The Guardian reports, Judge Ken Barlow found Jobst made five defamatory imputations about Mitchell, including falsely claiming that Mitchell had required YouTuber Apollo Legend (Benjamin Smith) to pay “a large sum of money” in a legal settlement and implying that Mitchell “in essence, hounded Apollo Legend to death.”

The court determined these claims were “based on a fallacy” and that Jobst had been “recklessly indifferent” to the truth by not making further inquiries before publishing.

Mitchell, known for holding world records in Donkey Kong and Pac-Man dating back to 1982, testified that his paid gaming appearances dropped from 20-25 annually to just 4-5 following the video’s publication.

The court awarded Mitchell $300,000 in damages for non-economic loss and an additional $50,000 in aggravated damages due to Jobst publishing the video twice, mocking Mitchell’s complaint, failing to apologize, and demonstrating “clear malice.”

Background of Gaming Controversy

Mitchell had previously been accused of cheating in 2017, with Twin Galaxies removing his scores and banning him from competitions after investigating allegations he used emulation software instead of original arcade hardware. Guinness World Records subsequently disqualified all his records.

However, Mitchell’s records have since been reinstated. Guinness World Records restored his achievements in June 2020, and Twin Galaxies reinstated his scores in January 2024 following a legal settlement.

Judicial Assessment

Judge Barlow characterized Jobst’s actions as a “crusade” against Mitchell, stating he was trying to “[show] his audience that he is the knight who slew the Mitchell dragon.”

The judgment noted the court was not called upon to determine whether Mitchell had actually cheated in achieving his world record scores.

Following the ruling, Mitchell posted on X: “Nothing like the smell of victory in the evening air,” following up with “Billy Mitchell always has a plan.”