Kevin O’Leary, the investor known from Shark Tank, has won a $2.8 million defamation judgment against crypto influencer Ben “BitBoy Crypto” Armstrong.
A federal judge in Florida ruled in O’Leary’s favor after Armstrong failed to properly respond to the lawsuit or show up in court. Because of that, the court entered a default judgment against him.
The case started after Armstrong made a series of social media posts in March 2025. In those posts, he falsely accused O’Leary of murder and claimed he helped cover up a deadly 2019 boating accident.
O’Leary was never charged in that incident. His wife was charged at the time but was later acquitted at trial.
Judge Beth Bloom, who oversaw the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, awarded O’Leary a total of $2,828,000 after reviewing the evidence.
The breakdown of the damages looks like this:
- $78,000 for harm to O’Leary’s reputation
- $750,000 for emotional distress
- $2 million in punitive damages, meant to punish Armstrong for the false claims
The court also noted that Armstrong posted O’Leary’s private phone number online and told followers to call him a “real life murderer.” That led to harassment and security concerns.
Armstrong later tried to argue that he didn’t respond to the lawsuit because of mental health issues and time spent in jail. The judge rejected that explanation, saying he had been properly served and had enough opportunity to take part in the case.
In the end, the ruling sends a clear message: making serious false accusations online — especially to a large audience — can come with real legal consequences.
