Kennedy Center Ordered to Pay $252,479 in Legal Fees to Jazz Musician Chuck Redd

A Washington, D.C. Superior Court judge ordered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to pay $252,479.70 in attorneys’ fees and costs to jazz vibraphonist and drummer Chuck Redd. The award follows the Center’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against Redd, which was dismissed after the judge found no enforceable contract and deemed the suit retaliation for Redd’s public opposition to the Center’s decision to add President Donald Trump’s name to its façade.

Deadline HollywoodKennedy Center Must Pay Musician $250,000 in Trump Name Spat (1) Rolling StoneVariety MagazineRaw StoryNPRThe Hill

In December 2025 the Center’s board voted to rename the venue by adding President Trump’s name to the building’s exterior. Redd, who had hosted the annual Christmas Eve “Jazz Jam” since 2006, cancelled his scheduled performance after seeing the name change. The Center responded by filing a breach-of-contract suit, invoking a “morals clause” and alleging that Redd used the public forum to make a political statement. The lawsuit was part of a broader pattern of artist cancellations after the board, reshaped by Trump appointees, pursued the renaming.

NPR

• December 2025 – Board votes to add President Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center façade.

Alternet

• Late December 2025 – Redd notifies the Center that he will not perform, citing the name change.

Deadline Hollywood

• March 2026 – Center files a breach-of-contract suit seeking $1 million in damages.

Variety Magazine

• June 5, 2026 – Judge Tanya Jones Bosier dismisses the suit, finding no valid contract and no provable damages.

Variety Magazine

• May 29, 2026 – Federal judge orders removal of Trump’s name from the façade, deeming the board’s action illegal.

Variety Magazine

• August 2026 – Judge orders the Center to pay Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees; the Center announces its intent to appeal.

Deadline Hollywood

• Legal fee award: $252,479.70 (approximately $250,000).

Kennedy Center Must Pay Musician $250,000 in Trump Name Spat (1)

• Redd’s claimed costs: $258,479.70, of which the court awarded nearly the full amount.

Deadline Hollywood

• Performance history: Redd hosted the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam for 19 years (2006-2025).

The Hill

• The Kennedy Center issued a brief statement indicating that it will appeal the fee award.

Forbes

• Lisa Banks called the Center’s lawsuit “politically motivated” retaliation for Redd’s protected opposition.

Deadline Hollywood

• Former Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell threatened a $1 million lawsuit, labeling Redd’s cancellation a “political stunt.”

Raw Story

• “The Trump-controlled Kennedy Center tried to silence opposition to its illegal name change by filing a meritless lawsuit,” — Lisa Banks, Redd’s attorney

The Hill

• “I could not find a valid breach-of-contract claim here,” — Judge Jones Bosier

Variety Magazine

The Center will appeal the fee award. The appeal will address whether the anti-SLAPP dismissal and the fee calculation are upheld, and may further clarify the legal limits of the Center’s “morals clause” and its ability to enforce contractual obligations without a signed agreement.

Deadline Hollywood