A Washington, DC, judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay a jazz artist’s legal fees after the performing arts institution sued him for canceling his performance over the addition of President Donald Trump’s name to the venue. On Monday, Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier awarded performer Chuck Redd — who canceled his Christmas Eve show at the centre — more than $250,000 and gave the Kennedy Center 45 days to make the payment. Lisa Banks, one of Redd’s attorneys, told CNN in a statement, “The Trump-controlled Kennedy Center tried to silence opposition to its illegal name change by filing a meritless lawsuit against jazz musician Chuck Redd. The court rightly dismissed that breach of contract lawsuit, finding there was no contract and no damages, and was brought against Mr. Redd based on his protected opposition.” A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said the institution intends to appeal the decision. The Kennedy Center sued Redd in March, arguing that he breached his contract when he canceled his performance less than a week before the show in protest of Trump’s handpicked board voting to rename the building to include the president’s name. “As a result of Defendant Redd’s malfeasance, the Center was forced to cancel the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam concert at the last minute, depriving hundreds of members of the public the Christmas Concert offered by the Center, and causing the Center reputational, marketing, and concert preparation damages,” a lawyer for the centre argued in the lawsuit. In June, Judge Jones Bosier, an appointee of former U.S. President Joe Biden, dismissed the lawsuit, finding that the center failed “to state a valid breach of contract claim” as Redd never signed an agreement prior to his cancelation. Later that month, after a legal back-and-forth, Trump’s name was removed from the exterior of the building and its website. Redd, who has hosted the holiday jazz concert for nearly two decades, told CNN in December following the board’s move that he “was saddened to see this name change.” After Redd’s exit, then-Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell wrote him a letter that sharply criticized his decision. “Your decision to withdraw at the last moment—explicitly in response to the Center’s recent renaming, which honors President Trump’s extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure—is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution,” Grenell, a longtime Trump confidant, wrote. Grenell was replaced as the head of the institution in March. CNN previously reported that following the renaming of the building, several artists pulled out of shows, including the jazz group the Cookers, New York City-based dance company Doug Varone and Dancers and Kristy Lee, a folk singer-songwriter. The center also faced lagging ticket sales during the holiday season.
