Lion King Composer Loses Lawsuit, Owes $40K

South African musician Lebohang Morake, known as Lebo M, is now obligated to pay $39,560 in legal costs after a failed lawsuit. Morake, who contributed to Disney's The Lion King soundtrack, had sued comedian Learnmore Jonasi over a humorous interpretation of the song's opening chant, "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba."

Jonasi had joked on a podcast that the chant translated to "Look, there's a lion. Oh my god." Morake accused Jonasi of defamation and sought $27 million, claiming the joke trivialized the song for self-profit. Jonasi's legal team successfully argued that the suit infringed on First Amendment rights.

In a ruling on Friday, August 28, Judge Josephine Staton applied California's anti-SLAPP statute. This law allows defendants to recover legal fees when lawsuits are deemed to stifle free expression. Consequently, Morake dropped his case and is now responsible for Jonasi's attorney fees and costs.