On February 14, Kevin O’Leary won a default judgment in a defamation case against Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong in the Southern District of Florida Federal Court, receiving a total award of $2.8 million. The court found that the defendant’s posting of “malicious” false accusations and private information on social media constituted serious defamation and punitive damages.
The ruling awarded O’Leary $750,000 in emotional distress damages, $78,000 in reputation damages, and an additional $2 million in punitive damages. The judge noted that as a public figure engaged in media and business collaborations, damage to O’Leary’s reputation would directly impact his performance invitations and business relationships. Expert testimony, based on the viewership of the relevant posts, the size of the affected audience, and repair costs, estimated the reputation loss at $78,000.
The dispute originated from multiple posts made by Armstrong in March 2025, accusing O’Leary of involvement in a fatal boat accident in 2019, and publicly sharing his private phone number in one post, urging fans to “call the murderer in real life.” The court found that O’Leary was only a passenger at the time and was not prosecuted; his wife was also declared innocent after the trial. The accident investigation indicated that another boat had no lights at the time. After the phone number was leaked, O’Leary received hundreds of calls, leading to an annual security expense of approximately $200,000 and changes to his travel and work routines for safety reasons.
Procedurally, O’Leary filed suit on March 26, 2025; service was completed by March 28. Armstrong repeatedly failed to respond within the deadline, despite court extensions and clear warnings, and did not submit a response. The clerk entered a default on May 6. A damages hearing was held on October 30, with Armstrong still absent. He later sought to dismiss the case citing detention and bipolar disorder, but the court found he had been properly notified, delayed nearly a year, and was harming the plaintiff’s interests, and thus dismissed the motion.
This case serves as a warning: spreading false accusations and “doxxing” others on social media can lead to high damages and long-term legal consequences. The parties involved include Kevin O’Leary, Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong, and O’Leary’s public role as an investor on “Shark Tank.”
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
Kelp DAO Hack Attributed to Lazarus Group; eth.limo Domain Hijacked via Social Engineering
LayerZero reported that the Kelp DAO exploit, attributed to North Korea's Lazarus Group, led to a loss of $292 million in rsETH tokens due to vulnerabilities in its decentralized verifier network. Additionally, eth.limo faced a domain hijacking from a social engineering attack, but DNSSEC mitigated severe damage.
GateNews6h ago
LayerZero responds to Kelp DAO’s 292 million incident: it indicates that Kelp set up a custom 1-of-1 DVN configuration, and the attacker was North Korea’s Lazarus.
LayerZero issued a statement regarding the $292 million hack suffered by Kelp DAO, accusing Kelp’s self-selected 1-of-1 DVN configuration of making the incident possible. The attacker was the North Korean Lazarus Group. LayerZero emphasized that this incident stems from configuration choices and that it will no longer support this kind of vulnerable setup. In addition, responsibility is still disputed, and no compensation plan has been provided.
ChainNewsAbmedia11h ago
Charles Schwab Explores Prediction Markets Tied to Financial Events Amid Regulatory Scrutiny
Charles Schwab is considering introducing prediction markets for financial events amid growing Wall Street interest, while maintaining a focus on wealth management. Regulatory scrutiny is increasing, especially regarding sports and entertainment wagers, highlighted by recent legislation and concerns over insider trading and market manipulation.
GateNews11h ago
Warren Questions SEC Chair as 2025 Enforcement Actions Fall to Decade Low
Senator Elizabeth Warren accused SEC Chair Paul Atkins of misleading Congress over a decline in enforcement actions, which hit a decade low in fiscal 2025. Warren sought clarification on the regulatory shift, while Atkins defended the changes as a strategic realignment of priorities.
GateNews11h ago
Latam Insights: Brazil Seeks Online Gambling Ban, Venezuela's National Stablecoin Proposal
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compilation of the most relevant crypto news from Latin America over the past week. In this edition, a draft to repeal all online gambling has been introduced in Brazil, a proposal to include stablecoins to help curb currency restrictions rises in Venezuela, and Latam
Coinpedia17h ago
A judge ruled that the JENNER meme coin issued by socialite Jenners from the Kardashian family is not a security, dismissing the lawsuit.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California ruled that the $JENNER meme coin issued by socialite Jenna, of the Kardashian family, does not meet the definition of a security, dismissing investors’ lawsuit. The judge said the plaintiffs failed to prove the features of a common enterprise and can bring other claims in state court.
ChainNewsAbmedia04-19 15:24
