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Lebo M ordered to pay US$39,560 to Zimbabwean comedian
2 hrs ago |
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A United States federal court has ordered South African composer and The Lion King producer Lebohang "Lebo M" Morake to pay Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi, also known as Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, US$39,560 (approximately R640,000) in statutory attorneys' fees following their legal dispute over a joke about the iconic Zulu chant from The Lion King.
The ruling comes after Jonasi successfully established that he was the prevailing party under California's anti-SLAPP law after Morake abandoned his original claims against the comedian.
The court calculated Jonasi's reasonable attorneys' fees at US$39,560, but declined his request for an upward multiplier that would have increased the award.
Interestingly, Jonasi had reportedly paid only about US$5,350 (approximately R86,500) out of pocket for his legal representation. His lawyers substantially discounted their fees while defending the comedian's First Amendment free-speech rights.
The court nevertheless based the statutory award on the reasonable value of the legal services provided rather than the amount Jonasi actually paid his lawyers.
The legal battle stemmed from comments made by Jonasi during a podcast appearance in which he jokingly offered his own translation of the famous opening chant, "Nants' ingonyama bagithi Baba", from The Lion King's "Circle of Life".
Instead of the traditional interpretation associated with the Zulu praise chant, Jonasi humorously rendered it as, "Look, there's a lion. Oh my God."
The joke subsequently drew the attention of Morake, who was involved in the creation and production of music associated with The Lion King. Morake launched a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in California, alleging defamation and misrepresentation and arguing that Jonasi's comments trivialised what he regarded as a significant cultural composition.
The dispute ultimately ended with Morake dropping his claims.
Jonasi then sought recovery of his legal costs under California's anti-SLAPP statute, which is designed to protect speech and other activities involving matters of public interest from lawsuits intended to suppress protected expression.
In its ruling on attorneys' fees, the court made clear that it was not determining which translation of the Zulu phrase was linguistically or culturally correct.
Instead, the court's decision focused on whether Jonasi qualified as the prevailing party for purposes of California's anti-SLAPP law after Morake withdrew his claims.
The US$39,560 award therefore relates specifically to the legal proceedings and the statutory entitlement to attorneys' fees, rather than constituting a judicial endorsement of Jonasi's humorous translation of the Lion King chant.
The ruling brings another chapter to a high-profile dispute that began with a comedian's joke and developed into a legal battle involving questions of free speech, cultural expression and the protection of artistic and creative works.
The ruling comes after Jonasi successfully established that he was the prevailing party under California's anti-SLAPP law after Morake abandoned his original claims against the comedian.
The court calculated Jonasi's reasonable attorneys' fees at US$39,560, but declined his request for an upward multiplier that would have increased the award.
Interestingly, Jonasi had reportedly paid only about US$5,350 (approximately R86,500) out of pocket for his legal representation. His lawyers substantially discounted their fees while defending the comedian's First Amendment free-speech rights.
The court nevertheless based the statutory award on the reasonable value of the legal services provided rather than the amount Jonasi actually paid his lawyers.
The legal battle stemmed from comments made by Jonasi during a podcast appearance in which he jokingly offered his own translation of the famous opening chant, "Nants' ingonyama bagithi Baba", from The Lion King's "Circle of Life".
Instead of the traditional interpretation associated with the Zulu praise chant, Jonasi humorously rendered it as, "Look, there's a lion. Oh my God."
The joke subsequently drew the attention of Morake, who was involved in the creation and production of music associated with The Lion King. Morake launched a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in California, alleging defamation and misrepresentation and arguing that Jonasi's comments trivialised what he regarded as a significant cultural composition.
The dispute ultimately ended with Morake dropping his claims.
Jonasi then sought recovery of his legal costs under California's anti-SLAPP statute, which is designed to protect speech and other activities involving matters of public interest from lawsuits intended to suppress protected expression.
In its ruling on attorneys' fees, the court made clear that it was not determining which translation of the Zulu phrase was linguistically or culturally correct.
Instead, the court's decision focused on whether Jonasi qualified as the prevailing party for purposes of California's anti-SLAPP law after Morake withdrew his claims.
The US$39,560 award therefore relates specifically to the legal proceedings and the statutory entitlement to attorneys' fees, rather than constituting a judicial endorsement of Jonasi's humorous translation of the Lion King chant.
The ruling brings another chapter to a high-profile dispute that began with a comedian's joke and developed into a legal battle involving questions of free speech, cultural expression and the protection of artistic and creative works.
Source - online
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