Story perspectives

Kennedy Center Ordered to Pay $252K Legal Fees After Anti-SLAPP Dismissal

8/11/2026

Summary

Judge Bosier Orders

D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya Jones Bosier ordered the Kennedy Center to pay Chuck Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees on August 11, 2026.
Bosier dismissed the Center’s lawsuit under D.C.’s anti-SLAPP statute because no signed contract or damages existed.
The Center threatened a $1 million claim and later offered to settle for $7,500 if Redd performed without commentary.
Kennedy Center will appeal the award, which Redd’s attorney Lisa J. Banks says protects citizens.

Summary

Bondi Renames Center

Pam Bondi and Susie Wiles, Trump-appointed board members, voted to rename the Kennedy Center.
The Kennedy Center warns the dispute could cost it hundreds of millions in donor contributions.
U.S. President Donald Trump named himself host of the annual honors gala, prompting artist cancellations.
The center argues its founding statute gives Congress naming rights while tarps have concealed its façade for two months during the D.C. Circuit case.

History

Historical Context

Congress created the National Endowment for the Arts in 1965 and, after the 1990 decency amendment, the Supreme Court upheld the funding standards in National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley (1998). That decision affirmed congressional authority, a precedent echoed today as the Kennedy Center awards an anti-SLAPP prize to Chuck Redd and votes to rename its board, reviving the arts-funding clash.

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Judge Bosier Orders

D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya Jones Bosier ordered the Kennedy Center to pay Chuck Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees on August 11, 2026.
Bosier dismissed the Center’s lawsuit under D.C.’s anti-SLAPP statute because no signed contract or damages existed.
The Center threatened a $1 million claim and later offered to settle for $7,500 if Redd performed without commentary.
Kennedy Center will appeal the award, which Redd’s attorney Lisa J. Banks says protects citizens.

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