Lebo M Ordered To Pay US$39,560 In Legal Fees After Anti-SLAPP Defeat
A US federal court has ordered South African composer Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake to pay US$39,560 in legal fees to Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Mwanyenyeka.
South African composer and performer Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake has been ordered by a US federal court to pay US$39,560 in attorneys’ fees to Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Mwanyenyeka following their legal dispute over the interpretation of the opening chant from The Lion King.
The order was issued on August 28 by US District Judge Josephine L. Staton in the Central District of California in the case Lebohang Morake v. Learnmore Mwanyenyeka.
The ruling concerns legal costs arising from Mwanyenyeka’s successful anti-SLAPP proceedings and does not determine whether his interpretation of the chant was linguistically accurate.
Anti-SLAPP laws allow defendants in certain cases to challenge lawsuits arising from protected speech. Successful defendants may, in appropriate circumstances, recover their legal costs.
Dispute Began With Comedy Routine
The dispute followed a comedy routine by Mwanyenyeka, who performs professionally as Learnmore Jonasi, concerning the meaning of “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba”, the well-known opening chant associated with The Lion King.
According to the court documents, Mwanyenyeka interpreted the Zulu phrase as meaning: “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god.”
Morake objected to the interpretation, maintaining that it was incorrect and that the comments diminished the cultural and artistic significance of the work.
Morake subsequently filed a lawsuit against Mwanyenyeka in March, seeking US$27 million in damages.
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Mwanyenyeka responded by filing an anti-SLAPP motion, arguing that the claims against him arose from protected speech.
The court found that he had prevailed for the purposes of the anti-SLAPP proceedings, making him eligible to recover reasonable attorneys’ fees.
Court Reduces Requested Legal Fees
Mwanyenyeka’s lawyers initially sought US$45,935 in legal fees.
After reviewing their billing records, the court awarded US$39,560, equivalent to approximately R639,000 based on the figures provided in the case materials.
The reduction followed the court’s finding that some of the work performed by attorney Zachary Hansen had been calculated using the higher hourly rate applicable to his colleague Bryan Sullivan.
The court found Sullivan’s hourly rate of US$850 and Hansen’s rate of US$475 to be reasonable, taking into account their experience and expertise.
The ruling also noted that Mwanyenyaka’s lawyers had charged him only US$5,350 for their work.
According to the court, the attorneys represented him at substantially reduced rates because of the importance they attached to protecting his First Amendment rights.
The judge nevertheless calculated the fee award according to the reasonable value of the legal services rather than the amount actually paid by Mwanyenyaka.
The court rejected a request for the fee award to be increased by at least three times the calculated amount, finding that such an enhancement was not justified.
Translation Dispute Remains Unresolved
The latest order does not determine the correct linguistic interpretation of “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba”.
Instead, it addresses the separate question of whether Mwanyenyaka was entitled to recover his legal expenses after successfully invoking California’s anti-SLAPP protections.
The underlying dispute centres on the meaning and cultural significance of the chant and its connection to Morake’s musical legacy.
Morake has maintained that he intends to consider his legal options following the ruling.
In a statement shared with TshisaLIVE, Morake said he and his legal team were studying the implications of the decision.
“Lebo M and his legal team are therefore studying the implications of the latest determination and evaluating the options available to them,” the statement said.
“We will not litigate this matter through social media, nor will we allow online commentary to define the significance of the principles at stake.”
The latest order therefore resolves the question of Mwanyenyaka’s attorneys’ fees in the anti-SLAPP proceedings, but does not settle the underlying disagreement over the meaning of the famous Lion King chant.
