A United States federal choose has ordered crypto influencer Ben Armstrong, beforehand generally known as “BitBoy,” to pay $2.8 million after he didn’t defend himself in a defamation lawsuit introduced by investor and tv persona Kevin O’Leary.
In line with courtroom paperwork, US District Decide Beth Bloom of the Southern District of Florida entered the default judgment on Thursday, whereas citing Armstrong’s lack of any response throughout the proceedings. The damages award consists of roughly $78,000 for reputational hurt, $750,000 for emotional misery, and $2 million in punitive damages.
Background of the Case
The case stems from a sequence of posts Armstrong printed on X in late March 2025, by which he accused O’Leary and his spouse of homicide and alleged they paid hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to cowl up their involvement in a deadly 2019 boating collision in Ontario.
Two folks have been killed when one boat struck one other on a lake, however O’Leary was solely a passenger and was by no means charged. His spouse, Linda O’Leary, however, was later acquitted of careless operation of a vessel following a 13-day trial. Armstrong publicly disclosed O’Leary’s non-public cellphone quantity and urged followers to contact him as a “real-life assassin.” These posts prompted a brief suspension from the platform.
In January 2026, Armstrong moved to overturn the default judgment. He stated incarceration and psychological well being issues prevented his involvement, whereas sealed filings referenced a bipolar dysfunction analysis. The courtroom rejected the request and famous that Armstrong had been correctly served and waited almost a 12 months earlier than taking motion.
Authorized Woes
The ruling additional expands the checklist of authorized troubles going through Armstrong, who has confronted repeated arrests since 2023. He was taken into custody in March 2025 on a fugitive warrant tied to alleged threats despatched to a Georgia choose and was arrested once more in June 2025 on a number of counts of harassing cellphone calls.
Armstrong was faraway from the BitBoy Crypto model in August 2023 after its mum or dad firm cited substance abuse considerations, which ended his run as one of the crucial seen figures in crypto media.
His profession was repeatedly overshadowed by controversy, together with admissions of paid promotions for failed or fraudulent tasks and a high-profile authorized dispute with YouTuber Atozy that he in the end deserted after a backlash from the crypto neighborhood.
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