Judge Orders Kennedy Center to Pay $250,000 to Jazz Performer Chuck Redd

A Washington, D.C., judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay more than $250,000 in legal fees to jazz performer Chuck Redd after the institution sued him for canceling a performance over the addition of President Donald Trump’s name to the venue.

Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier ordered the Kennedy Center to make the payment within 45 days. The center has said it plans to appeal the decision.

Redd canceled his Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center in December after the institution's board, appointed by Trump, voted to rename the building to include the president's name.

The Kennedy Center later sued Redd, arguing that he breached an agreement by canceling his performance less than a week before the scheduled show. The center claimed the cancellation caused financial and reputational damage.

In June, however, Jones Bosier dismissed the lawsuit, finding that the Kennedy Center failed to establish a valid breach of contract claim because Redd had not signed an agreement before canceling the performance.

Redd's attorneys argued that the lawsuit was an attempt to punish him for expressing opposition to the name change.

The dispute continued as the Kennedy Center later removed Trump's name from the exterior of the building and its website.

Redd had hosted the center's holiday jazz concert for nearly two decades before canceling his performance. Other artists also withdrew from Kennedy Center performances following the name change, including jazz group the Cookers, Doug Varone and Dancers and folk singer-songwriter Kristy Lee.

The Kennedy Center has faced additional scrutiny over the name change, artist cancellations and ticket sales since Trump's allies took control of the institution.

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