From Morake v. Mwanyenyeka, decided Friday by Judge Josephine Staton (C.D. Cal.):
Plaintiff Lebohang Morake is the creator and original performer of "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba," the opening chant from Disney's The Lion King. Defendant Learnmore Mwanyenyeka is a comedian and content creator.
Defendant appeared on a podcast, where he asserted that "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba" means "Look, there's a lion. Oh my god" in the Zulu language. The podcast was posted on YouTube and went viral. Defendant has been repeating this assertion at various comedy clubs. Plaintiff maintains that Defendant's assertion is false, and that the true translation of "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba" is "All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king."
On March 16, 2026, Plaintiff filed the instant action, bringing claims for (1) misleading representation in violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125; (2) defamation per se; (3) trade libel; and (4) tortious interference with prospective economic advantage against Defendant, for Defendant's "mischaracterization of the true meaning of 'Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba.'"
Defendant filed an anti-SLAPP motion to strike the state law claims, arguing that the case should be promptly dismissed because it's meritless and because it's based on speech on matters of public interest. (State anti-SLAPP motions can't apply to federal claims, such as the Lanham Act claim.) Plaintiff then dropped the state claims, and refiled a First Amended Complaint (FAC):
