Ben Armstrong, a YouTube influencer known as ‘BitBoy Crypto,’ sued a fellow social media personality for defamation after being accused of defrauding his audience by promoting an unusual cryptocurrency.
In the lawsuit, which Law360 first reported on Monday, Armstrong claimed that the influencer Erling Mengshoel harmed his business relationships after releasing a November 2021 video mocking BitBoy for promoting scams and pumping micro-cap coins to fans.
The YouTube personality X Crypto Influencer lawsuit!
Mengshoel, also known on YouTube as ‘Atozy,’ claims in the video that BitBoy has “been known for being a shady dirtbag who milks his audience for a quick buck rather than giving them genuine advice.”
Armstrong has filed a complaint against Mengshoel “for defamation (…), intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, tortious interference with business relations (…), and violation of the fair business practices act,” according to the document.
He also claims Armstrong isn’t qualified to give financial advice because “you don’t know whether he’s trying to enrich you or himself” and chastises him for promoting Pamp, a washout cryptocurrency.
Negative claims
That hasn’t gone down well with Armstrong. He mentioned Atozy’s public criticism in his complaint, objecting to the phrases “shady dirtbag” and “dirtbag YouTuber.” According to the complaint, Atozy’s video led viewers to believe Armstrong got paid by fraudsters to sell cryptocurrency to “suckers” willing to buy it.
In the video, Mengshoel also told viewers that such promotions were likely to be investigated by regulators, saying, “it’s inevitable the SEC is going to get involved because dirtbags like this cannot resist the urge to take that quick buck and just milk their audience for some extra money.”
Armstrong claims in his complaint that Atozy’s “attack piece” significantly impacted his business by reducing the number of followers, damaging his reputation, and causing him severe anxiety. He expressed concern about being “perceived as a felon, a fraud, and untrustworthy in business or general.”
Armstrong’s lawyers from Krevolin & Horst didn’t return any requests for comment. It isn’t clear who is representing Mengshoel.
