- A Miami federal court entered a multimillion-dollar default judgment after the defendant failed to participate in proceedings.
- The court allocated damages across emotional harm, reputational impact and punitive findings tied to online statements.
- Attempts to overturn the ruling were denied despite claims of incarceration and mental health challenges.
Kevin O’Leary has secured a US$2.8 million (AU$3.95 million) default judgment against crypto content creator Ben Armstrong in a defamation action heard in federal court in Miami. The ruling was issued by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida and followed Armstrong’s failure to appear or file a defence.
The award comprises US$750,000 (AU$1.06 million) for emotional distress, US$78,000 (AU$109,980) for reputational harm and US$2 million (AU$2.82 million) in punitive damages. The court found that Armstrong’s conduct justified punitive damages and determined the posts were made with actual malice.
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Online Accusations Spark Legal Fallout
The dispute arose from a series of posts published in March 2025 in which Armstrong accused O’Leary and his wife of involvement in a fatal 2019 boating accident in Ontario. O’Leary was a passenger and was not charged, while his wife was later exonerated following trial proceedings. One post urged followers to “call a real life murderer” and included O’Leary’s private phone number, resulting in a brief suspension on the platform.
O’Leary testified that his phone received hundreds of calls after the number was shared and that he increased security spending by about US$200,000 (AU$282,000) per year. Armstrong later sought to set aside the default judgment, citing incarceration and bipolar disorder, but the court rejected the request, noting he had notice of the case and delayed nearly a year.
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