Court orders BitBoy to pay Kevin O’Leary nearly $2.8M in defamation case

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Oleg Tkachenko

16.02.2026

Court orders BitBoy to pay Kevin O’Leary nearly $2.8M in defamation case — Kevin O’Leary wins nearly $2.8M defamation case

Businessman and TV personality Kevin O’Leary, known as Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank, has won a defamation lawsuit against crypto influencer Ben Armstrong (BitBoy Crypto). A federal court in Miami awarded him nearly $2.8 million in damages.

The ruling was issued on Feb. 13–15, 2026, in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Judge Beth Bloom entered a default judgment after Armstrong failed to respond to the complaint, appear in court, or present any defense. In such cases, the court accepts the plaintiff’s allegations as established and proceeds directly to determining damages.

What the lawsuit was about

In March 2025, Armstrong published a series of posts and videos on X and other platforms accusing O’Leary and his wife of murdering two people in a 2019 boating accident in Ontario. He also claimed that O’Leary had “paid millions to cover it up” and shared his private phone number online.

The court found that O’Leary was not operating the boat and was never charged. His wife, Linda O’Leary, was initially charged with careless operation but was acquitted after a 13-day trial determined that the other boat had been operating without its lights on.

After Armstrong posted O’Leary’s phone number, his account was temporarily suspended. According to O’Leary, his phone was “lighting up,” affecting both his professional and personal life.

A signal to the crypto industry

Ben Armstrong runs one of the largest crypto-focused YouTube channels, @Bitboy_Crypto, and has 811,300 followers on X, where he continues to comment on digital assets. He is widely known as a strong supporter of Cardano and Ethereum.

Ben Armstrong (Bitboy)

The court’s decision is already being described as a landmark case for the market. According to reports from Cointelegraph, Bloomberg Law, Crypto.news and Yahoo Finance, it is one of the most high-profile examples of crypto influencers being held accountable for their content. The message is clear: public accusations without evidence can carry a multimillion-dollar price tag.

Armstrong has faced mounting difficulties in recent years. After losing control of the BitBoy Crypto brand in 2023, he became involved in multiple scandals and legal disputes. The nearly $2.8 million judgment could prove financially devastating.

More broadly, many in the crypto community see this as a sign that the “Wild West” era of unchecked hype and provocative claims is coming to an end. The victory also strengthens O’Leary’s standing as a prominent market commentator, particularly as he continues to speak about digital assets and Bitcoin as a hedge.

Previously, we explored whether being a crypto influencer is profitable — and what consequences can follow.

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