A judge in Washington has directed the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to compensate jazz artist Chuck Redd with over $250,000 in legal fees. This decision follows the dismissal of the center’s lawsuit against Redd for breach of contract by Judge Tanya Jones Bosier of the District of Columbia Superior Court.
In 2025, Redd, an American drummer and vibraphonist also known as Charles, withdrew from his long-standing role as host of the center’s annual free Christmas Eve concert. This decision came in response to the center’s controversial action of adding Donald Trump’s name to the building’s marble portico.
Redd’s attorney, Lisa J. Banks, stated to CBC News that battling unwarranted and politically motivated lawsuits from the Trump Administration is a burden no citizen should endure.
For years, Redd had been hosting and performing at the center’s Christmas Eve concerts. However, he pulled out of the event last year after Trump’s name was affixed to the building’s façade. The Kennedy Center reacted by threatening to sue Redd, citing his withdrawal in response to the renaming as intolerant and costly.
The judge eventually dismissed the center’s lawsuit as it failed to present a valid breach of contract claim. Subsequently, a federal judge ruled in May that Trump’s name had been illicitly added to the Kennedy Center, sparking a conflict that began when Trump discharged the center’s long-time chair.
Since the change in leadership, various figures in arts and culture have distanced themselves from the center or canceled appearances. The Kennedy Center confirmed the removal of Trump’s name from its façade in June, with only “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” remaining.
The Kennedy Center plans to challenge the ruling, while Redd’s legal team applauded the judge’s decision as fitting. The center, a hub for over 2,000 events annually and home to the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera, continues to be embroiled in controversy surrounding the name change.