diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.test.ts
index d86500ff8a4fa..bcd9d79babbab 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.test.ts
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ import {
   byDataColorPaletteMap,
   extractUniqTermsMap,
   checkTableForContainsSmallValues,
+  shouldShowValuesInLegend,
 } from './render_helpers';
 import { chartPluginMock } from '../../../../../src/plugins/charts/public/mocks';
+import type { PieLayerState } from '../../common/expressions';
 
 describe('render helpers', () => {
   describe('#getSliceValue', () => {
@@ -374,4 +376,28 @@ describe('render helpers', () => {
       expect(checkTableForContainsSmallValues(datatable, columnId, 1)).toBeFalsy();
     });
   });
+
+  describe('#shouldShowValuesInLegend', () => {
+    it('should firstly read the state value', () => {
+      expect(
+        shouldShowValuesInLegend({ showValuesInLegend: true } as PieLayerState, 'waffle')
+      ).toBeTruthy();
+
+      expect(
+        shouldShowValuesInLegend({ showValuesInLegend: false } as PieLayerState, 'waffle')
+      ).toBeFalsy();
+    });
+
+    it('should read value from meta in case of value in state is undefined', () => {
+      expect(
+        shouldShowValuesInLegend({ showValuesInLegend: undefined } as PieLayerState, 'waffle')
+      ).toBeTruthy();
+
+      expect(shouldShowValuesInLegend({} as PieLayerState, 'waffle')).toBeTruthy();
+
+      expect(
+        shouldShowValuesInLegend({ showValuesInLegend: undefined } as PieLayerState, 'pie')
+      ).toBeFalsy();
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.ts b/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.ts
index 784cccd259d45..ef8525d2a9dbd 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/lens/public/pie_visualization/render_helpers.ts
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ export const isTreemapOrMosaicShape = (shape: PieChartTypes | string) =>
   ['treemap', 'mosaic'].includes(shape);
 
 export const shouldShowValuesInLegend = (layer: PieLayerState, shape: PieChartTypes) =>
-  'showValuesInLegend' in layer
-    ? layer.showValuesInLegend!
+  layer.showValuesInLegend !== undefined
+    ? layer.showValuesInLegend
     : Boolean(PartitionChartsMeta[shape]?.legend?.showValues);
 
 export const extractUniqTermsMap = (dataTable: Datatable, columnId: string) =>