This follows Morake's multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Jonasi over a joke about the opening chant from The Lion King.
Grammy Award-winning South African producer, composer, and singer Lebo M best known as the iconic “voice and spirit” of Disney’s The Lion King. Picture: Nigel Sibanda / Citizen
South African composer Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake has been ordered by a United States federal court to pay Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi US$39 560 (about R640 000) in legal fees.
The ruling follows Morake’s multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Jonasi over a joke about the opening chant from The Lion King.
Dispute over ‘The Lion King’ chant
The legal dispute started after Jonasi appeared on a podcast and joked about the meaning of the Zulu chant, “Nants’ ingonyama bagithi Baba”, from The Lion King’s “Circle of Life“.
Jonasi gave a humorous English interpretation of the phrase during the podcast.
Morake subsequently launched a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in California, alleging defamation and misrepresentation. The dispute also involved allegations relating to the commercial exploitation of the work.
Morake is closely associated with the music of The Lion King. He is known for providing the iconic opening vocals and arranging the African choir for Disney’s The Lion King.
He has also been involved in the creation and production of music associated with the franchise.
Court awards legal fees after Morake abandons lawsuit
After Morake reportedly abandoned the lawsuit, Jonasi sought to recover his legal costs under California’s anti-SLAPP legislation.
The law protects speech and other activities involving matters of public interest from lawsuits aimed at suppressing protected expression.
The court determined that Jonasi was entitled to recover the reasonable value of the legal services provided in defending the case.
The US$39 560 award was based on the value of the legal work rather than the amount Jonasi personally paid his lawyers.
According to the court report, Jonasi had paid about US$5 350 (roughly R86 500) out of pocket. His lawyers had substantially discounted their fees while defending his First Amendment rights.
