Erling Mengshoel, also known as Atozy, announced today on Twitter that he’s being sued by a fellow YouTuber BitBoy Crypto, real name Benjamin Armstrong, for a video made roughly nine months ago. In an eleven-minute video titled “This YouTuber Scams His Fans… Bitboy Crypto,” Mengshoel called Armstrong a “shady dirtbag” and a “scammer” for promoting the token of Pamp Network (PAMP).
In the suit filed on August 12, Armstrong accused Mengshoel of “defamation, defamation per se, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, tortious interference with business relations or potential business relations, violation of uniform deceptive practices act, and violation of fair business practices act.” BitBoy alleges he sustained damages in excess of $75,000.
In response to the lawsuit, Atozy started looking for financial help to cover legal expenses. “I'm crowdfunding to help cover the insane costs of defending myself against this frivolous lawsuit,” he tweeted. “All funds raised will be used to pay legal fees. If there is anything left over I will donate them to various charities as I have no interest in profiting from my community.”
“Ill send 100k or somethin later when at pc,” Cobie responded. A few hours later, a donation of 100,000 USDC came from FTX to Atozy’s address.
"You can’t literally make up lies and accusations about people. There are consequences for this, Because you tell two truths and one lie, that doesn’t excuse the lie," Armstrong tweeted shortly after Mengshoel revealed he’s being sued. “Hate me all you want, but at the end of the day people will be held accountable for lies and slander. Period.”
In his interview with CNBC on August 11, Armstrong admitted he regrets promoting questionable crypto projects that led to painful losses for some of his viewers. Armstrong charged advertisers $30,000 for a single paid endorsement on his 1.5-million channel, and was casually making around $100,000 a month from promotions alone. Riddled with guilt, the influencer stopped accepting paid promotions in January.
“I mean, of course, I do,” he said when answered about whether he feels responsible for the losses of his followers. “I hate it when we talk about stuff that didn’t do well.”
