A Queensland court ruled for Billy Mitchell in his defamation case against YouTuber Karl Jobst, awarding Mitchell A$300,000 in general damages and A$50,000 in aggravated damages, plus interest and costs. The often-repeated “$237,000” figure is PC Gamer’s approximate US-dollar conversion of the award with accrued interest at the time—not the amount stated in the Australian court order.
How much did Karl Jobst have to pay Billy Mitchell?
In Mitchell v Jobst [2025] QDC 41, District Court of Queensland Judge Ken Barlow KC awarded Mitchell A$350,000 in damages: A$300,000 for general damages and A$50,000 in aggravated damages. The judgment also provides for interest at 3% per annum from 21 May 2021, the date of first publication, and says Jobst should pay Mitchell’s costs, subject to contrary submissions. Read the judgment.
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PC Gamer reported that the award with accrued interest had exceeded A$380,000, which it converted at the time to approximately US$237,000 or £183,000. Those converted figures are time-specific estimates, not the Australian-dollar amount of the court’s award or a fixed current exchange-rate equivalent. PC Gamer’s report also attributed download figures for the video to its reporting; they should not be mistaken for figures established here as court findings.
| Figure | What it represents |
|---|---|
| A$300,000 | General damages awarded by the District Court of Queensland in 2025. |
| A$50,000 | Aggravated damages awarded by the District Court of Queensland in 2025. |
| 3% per annum from 21 May 2021 | Interest specified in the court judgment. |
| Over A$380,000; approximately US$237,000 or £183,000 | PC Gamer’s report of the award and accrued interest, with approximate currency conversions at the time of its 2025 coverage. |
Was the lawsuit about whether Mitchell cheated at Donkey Kong?
No. The court case concerned statements Jobst made about Mitchell’s connection to the death of fellow gaming creator Apollo Legend and the terms of a settlement between Legend and Mitchell. The judgment records Mitchell’s position directly: “Mr Mitchell does not complain that Mr Jobst called him a cheat.” The ruling therefore should not be read as deciding whether Mitchell’s Donkey Kong scores were legitimate or illegitimate.
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Jobst’s 26 May 2021 video, titled “The Biggest Conmen in Video Game History Strike Again!”, said Legend had paid Mitchell “a large sum of money,” was left deeply in debt, and ultimately took his own life. It also said Mitchell had “expressed joy at the thought” of Legend’s death. Those assertions—not the score-cheating allegations—were the focus of Mitchell’s claim. The court found that Jobst defamed Mitchell by making the imputations Mitchell alleged, and that Mitchell suffered significant personal and reputational harm. The judgment sets out the court’s findings.
What did the Apollo Legend settlement require?
The 2020 agreement required Legend to remove videos and posts relating to Mitchell, assign copyright in those videos, and stop publishing about him. It set liquidated damages of US$25,000 for each breach of the non-publication obligation. But it did not require Legend to pay Mitchell simply for entering the settlement: as Judge Barlow put it, “Unless he committed such a breach, he did not have to pay Mr Mitchell any money.”
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That distinction matters because the video’s account linked a supposed payment to Mitchell with Legend’s financial distress and death. The court’s description of the agreement contradicts the claim that the settlement itself required Legend to pay Mitchell; payment was conditional on a breach. The judgment explains the terms.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the ruling does—and does not—establish
- It establishes: the Queensland court found for Mitchell on the defamation claim, awarded damages, and found that Jobst’s conduct aggravated the harm.
- It does not establish: whether Mitchell cheated at Donkey Kong or whether his scores were valid.
- It clarifies: the Apollo Legend settlement required removal and non-publication, with payment due only if Legend breached the relevant obligations.
A separate Florida case was reported in 2026
A June 18, 2026 legal commentary reported that Jobst had filed a separate defamation action against Mitchell in the Southern District of Florida. It said Mitchell had filed a motion to dismiss and a security-for-costs motion, and that Jobst had responded. That secondary report does not establish what happened after its update, so it should not be treated as a statement of the motions’ current status.
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