Kennedy Center ordered to pay musician $252,480 after suit failed
What's next: The arts center plans to appeal after a D.C. judge threw out its $1 million case under an anti-SLAPP law.
A Washington, D.C., judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees and costs after dismissing the center's lawsuit over his canceled Christmas Eve concert. Redd, a vibraphonist and drummer, pulled out of the annual performance in December after President Donald Trump's name was added to the arts center's facade. In June, Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier threw out the Kennedy Center's $1 million breach of contract claim under the district's anti-SLAPP statute, which protects public-interest speech. The center said it will appeal. The dispute comes amid broader turmoil at the Kennedy Center after Trump replaced its leadership and board members in 2025 and remains chairman.