Kennedy Center ordered to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd more than $250,000, after it sued him over his opposition to Trump renaming

The Kennedy Center is now required to pay more than $250,000 in legal fees and costs to jazz musician Chuck Redd, Deadline reported. This ruling from D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier follows a failed lawsuit brought by the center against the performer, which centered on his decision to cancel a scheduled appearance.

The legal drama kicked off in December, when the Kennedy Center board voted to add the name of President Donald Trump to the institution. Redd, who was slated to play a free Christmas Eve jazz jam, decided to pull out of the performance because he disagreed with the name change. He even shared his reasoning through a statement sent to the media.

The Kennedy Center responded by suing Redd for breach of contract. Their legal team argued that the musician had violated a morals clause, claiming he “chose to abuse the public forum provided to him by the center in order to make a political statement.”

Judge Bosier dismissed the lawsuit in June, dealing a major blow to the center’s legal strategy

It turns out that Redd had never actually signed a contract for the 2025 performance, making the breach of contract claim pretty difficult to sustain. The judge also determined that Redd’s actions were protected under the D.C. Anti-SLAPP Act.

In her ruling, the judge noted the unique nature of this litigation, writing, “Notably, the Center acknowledged at the Hearing that multiple artists canceled their performances leading to the cancelation of the Jazz Jam in its entirety, and Redd acknowledged that he is the only performer to his knowledge to have made a public statement and be sued thereafter.”

The court has ordered the institution to pay $252,479.70, which is just about $6,000 shy of what Redd had requested for his legal expenses. The Kennedy Center has already signaled that they plan to appeal the decision. In a filing submitted last month, the center’s legal team pushed back hard on the costs, labeling the requested amount as “nothing short of astonishing. It is out of all proportion to the issue at stake, the non-complexity of case, the experience needed to handle it, and most importantly, the work needed to defend it.”

Lisa Banks, who serves as Redd’s attorney, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision. In a statement, she said, “The court rightly dismissed that breach of contract lawsuit, finding there was no contract and no damages, and was brought against Mr. Redd based on his protected opposition. Now the court has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay Mr. Redd’s legal fees, which is appropriate as no citizen should have to spend time and money fending off baseless and politically motivated lawsuits filed by the Trump Administration.”

While this dispute over legal fees plays out, the broader conflict regarding the name change remains active. A federal judge previously ordered the Kennedy Center to remove the name of President Donald Trump from the building and all associated materials by June.

Currently, a tarp covers a portion of the structure’s facade to hide the name. The court is expected to receive a status update regarding the removal after the board meets again this month.