Kevin O’Leary has won a $2.8M defamation case against crypto influencer BitBoy over false murder claims and doxxing.
- Kevin O’Leary secured a $2.8 million default judgment against crypto influencer Ben Armstrong, known as “BitBoy,” Bloomberg reported on Friday.
- A Florida federal judge ruled Armstrong defamed O’Leary by falsely accusing him of murder and posting his private phone number online.
- The lawsuit was filed in March 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Businessman, investor, and television personality Kevin O’Leary won a $2.8 million defamation judgment against crypto influencer and author Ben Armstrong.
Judge Beth Bloom of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida entered a default judgment against Armstrong, popularly known as “The BitBoy,” after he failed to provide a substantive response to the lawsuit, according to Bloomberg.
O’Leary filed the complaint in March 2025, alleging Armstrong published false statements on social media platforms, accusing him and his wife of killing two people in a 2019 boating accident and paying millions to conceal the incident.
Armstrong took to LinkedIn to say that “Kevin O’Leary and his wife murdered a couple and covered it up,” and further alleged that the FBI ignored the case because of money and influence. Armstrong also posted O’Leary’s private cell phone number and urged followers to contact him, the court found. In another post, he wrote, “I’m a rabid dog with my teeth sunk deep into your leg,” and suggested he could not be silenced.
Judge Bloom ruled that the posts significantly harmed O’Leary both professionally and personally, Bloomberg reported. The court awarded roughly $78,000 in reputational damages, $750,000 for mental anguish, and $2 million in punitive damages. Armstrong’s argument that mental health issues prevented him from responding to the lawsuit was rejected.
The 2019 Boating Incident
Armstrong’s allegations were tied to a 2019 boating accident involving O’Leary and his wife that resulted in two fatalities. O’Leary was never charged in connection with the incident.
His wife, Linda O’Leary, was charged with careless operation of a vessel but was later exonerated following a trial and was acquitted after a 13-day trial. The court noted that Armstrong’s renewed claims resurfaced the traumatic episode for O’Leary and his family.
Kevin O'Leary, who is often called "Mr. Wonderful," is most known for his long-running role on Shark Tank. He co-founded software company SoftKey, which eventually was bought by Mattel and later renamed to The Learning Company. Since then, he has used his fame to invest in startups, private equity, ETFs, and digital assets.
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