A federal court in Miami has entered a $2.8 million defamation judgment in favor of television personality and investor Kevin O'Leary against cryptocurrency content creator Ben Armstrong, known online as "BitBoy." The judgment, issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, follows Armstrong's failure to respond to the lawsuit after being properly served.
The court awarded O'Leary $750,000 for emotional distress, $78,000 for reputational harm, and $2 million in punitive damages. The punitive damages were specifically justified by the court due to Armstrong's conduct, which was found to be made with "actual malice." An expert witness calculated the reputational damage based on documented post views and a discounted audience estimate.
The case stemmed from social media posts Armstrong made in March 2025, in which he falsely accused O'Leary of involvement in a fatal 2019 boating accident. O'Leary was a passenger in the incident; his wife, Linda O'Leary, was operating the boat and was later exonerated after a trial that found the other vessel was operating without lights. Armstrong's posts, which garnered approximately 156,000 views, labeled O'Leary a murderer and included his personal phone number, urging followers to "call a real life murderer."
O'Leary testified that the disclosure led to hundreds of harassing calls, forcing him to block over 100 numbers. He also stated he increased his annual security spending by about $200,000 and altered his travel and work routines due to safety concerns.
Armstrong failed to meet multiple court-ordered deadlines to respond to the lawsuit, initially filed on March 26, 2025. The clerk entered a default against him on May 6, 2025. An evidentiary hearing on damages was held on October 30, 2025, which Armstrong did not attend despite being notified. He later sought to set aside the default judgment, citing incarceration and bipolar disorder, but the court denied his request, finding he had proper notice, delayed unreasonably for nearly a year, and that overturning the judgment would prejudice O'Leary.
