A judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd over $250,000. This follows the judge’s dismissal of a lawsuit regarding Redd’s cancellation of a scheduled performance.
Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia awarded Redd $252,479.70 in attorney fees and costs in a ruling on August 10. The judge had previously dismissed the Kennedy Center’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against Redd.
The Kennedy Center has 45 days to pay Redd’s legal team. A spokesperson for the center told USA TODAY that its lawyers intend to appeal the ruling.
The issue began when Redd, 67, canceled his annual Christmas Eve Jazz Jam performance at the Kennedy Center. Redd explained that he made this decision after the center was renamed in honor of President Donald Trump.
He told the Associated Press and CNN that he chose to withdraw after witnessing the name change at the performing arts center.
More Read
The Kennedy Center then sued Redd on March 5, claiming he used the venue to make a political statement and denied the public a concert he had promised.
However, Bosier dismissed the case in June, stating that Redd had not signed a contract for the performance. The judge also found that the Kennedy Center did not prove damages needed for a valid breach-of-contract claim.
The Kennedy Center argued that it suffered losses, including marketing expenses, preparation costs, and damage to its reputation after the concert was canceled.
Redd’s attorney, Lisa J. Banks, praised the ruling and claimed the lawsuit was politically driven.
“The court rightly dismissed that breach of contract lawsuit,” Banks said in a statement, arguing that there was no contract and that Redd’s opposition was protected.
This case occurs amid a larger controversy surrounding the Kennedy Center and Trump’s involvement with it. Trump announced in February that he would become chairman and removed several members of the center’s board of trustees.
The institution was later renamed after a controversial vote by the board, which included Trump alongside former President John F. Kennedy.
Trump has also faced legal challenges concerning the name change. A federal judge ruled in June that his name should be taken off the Kennedy Center’s signage and official materials. The judge also blocked plans to close the venue for two years for renovations.
Redd has more than four decades of experience as a professional musician. A Maryland native, he started his career in the late 1970s and spent 19 years performing with bossa nova guitarist Charlie Byrd.
More Read
He has also collaborated with major jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, and Mel Tormé. Earlier in his career, Redd played with Barney Kessel at a White House state dinner hosted by President Jimmy Carter in 1981.
The latest ruling adds another chapter to the ongoing dispute between the Kennedy Center and the musician, as the institution prepares to appeal the decision.
