WASHINGTON — A Washington, D.C. judge has ordered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees after the institution sued him for canceling a performance in protest of President Donald Trump's name being added to the venue.
Superior Court Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier issued the order Monday, giving the center 45 days to pay.
Redd, a veteran performer who had hosted the Kennedy Center's Christmas Eve Jazz Jam concert for nearly two decades, withdrew from his scheduled December show after the center's board — appointed by Trump — moved to incorporate the president's name into the building's identity. Redd publicly said he was "saddened to see this name change."
The Kennedy Center sued Redd in March, asserting he breached his contract. Lawyers for the center argued Redd's "malfeasance" forced a last-minute cancellation that deprived hundreds of audience members of the show. The center sought damages for reputational harm, marketing costs and concert preparation expenses.
Judge Jones Bosier, a Biden appointee, dismissed the lawsuit in June. She found the institution failed to "state a valid breach of contract claim," specifically because Redd had not signed a formal agreement for the performance before he canceled. Without a contract, the center had no case.
Lisa Banks, one of Redd's attorneys, said the "Trump-controlled Kennedy Center tried to silence opposition to its illegal name change by filing a meritless lawsuit against jazz musician Chuck Redd." She said the court rightly dismissed the case, finding no contract, no damages and that the suit targeted Redd's protected opposition.
The Kennedy Center said through a spokesperson it plans to appeal. Despite the planned appeal, the institution remains under the court order to pay Redd $252,479.70 within 45 days.
Redd was not alone. Following the renaming, several other artists also pulled out of scheduled performances, including the jazz group The Cookers, New York City-based dance company Doug Varone and Dancers, and folk singer-songwriter Kristy Lee.
The boycotts coincided with lagging ticket sales during the holiday season, a sign of broader audience resistance to the board's decision.
Richard Grenell, who served as Kennedy Center president at the time and is a longtime Trump confidant, called Redd's withdrawal "classic intolerance" and said it was "very costly to a non-profit Arts institution." Grenell was replaced as head of the institution in March.
The center quietly removed Trump's name from the building's exterior and website in late June, following the lawsuit's dismissal and widespread public criticism — a retreat that came after the litigation failed to force Redd back into line.
Redd's victory, securing more than a quarter-million dollars in legal fees, leaves the Kennedy Center's board with a court ruling, a pending appeal bill and a name it no longer displays on the building.
