Kennedy Center Ordered to Pay Chuck Redd More Than $252,000 After Judge Backs His Canceled Christmas Eve Concert Over Trump Name Fight
WASHINGTON, DC — A Washington, D.C., judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to cover more than $252,000 in legal fees and costs for musician Chuck Redd after he won a dispute tied to a canceled holiday performance.
Judge Tanya Jones Bosier directed the arts institution to pay $252,479.70 within 45 days, following an earlier ruling that cleared Redd under the district’s anti-SLAPP law.
How the dispute began
The conflict started after the Kennedy Center announced that Donald Trump’s name would be added to the venue. Redd then canceled a Christmas Eve concert, and the center later sued him over that decision.
In June, Bosier dismissed the Kennedy Center’s case and ruled for Redd, finding the anti-SLAPP statute protected him from a lawsuit that targeted protected speech. Redd then asked the court to make the center reimburse what he spent defending himself.
Trump name plans and fallout at the center
Redd’s cancellation came after the center’s Trump-aligned board voted to rename the institution “The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” Trump’s name was also placed on the building’s facade and added to digital materials.
At the time, Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, who was appointed by Trump, called the move a “political stunt” and threatened a $1 million lawsuit in damages.
What happens next for the Kennedy Center
A Kennedy Center spokesperson said the organization plans to appeal the fee ruling. The case is unfolding alongside other legal fights over the venue’s future and control.
In May, a federal judge said the board lacked authority to rename the center and ordered Trump references removed from the building and official communications. The administration is also blocked from closing the venue for planned renovations set to begin in July and last two years.
Chicago's music scene, one story at a time — Chicago Music Guide.
