Kennedy Center Ordered to Pay Jazz Musician Chuck Redd $252,000 in Legal Fees After Dismissed Lawsuit
A Washington D.C. judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay jazz musician Chuck Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees, the latest consequence of a breach of contract lawsuit that was thrown out in June after the court found no contract existed. Judge Tanya Jones Bosier granted Redd's motion for fees on 11 August 2026, citing the considerable time his legal team spent fighting the case (Rolling Stone).
The dispute traces back to Redd's decision to cancel his annual Christmas Eve Jazz Jam at the Kennedy Center, a concert he had hosted every year since 2006. Redd pulled out in protest after the institution's board voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the venue, a move that followed Trump stacking the board with allies upon returning to office (Rolling Stone). Redd, a drummer and vibraphonist with 20 European tours and five tours of Japan, had been a fixture of the venue's programming (Kennedy Center).
Then-Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell threatened a $1 million lawsuit over the cancellation. In March 2026, the institution formally filed a breach of contract claim, paired with a settlement offer requiring Redd to pay $7,500 and perform at that year's Christmas concert (The Guardian; Rolling Stone).
In June, Judge Bosier dismissed the case. Her ruling rested on a straightforward fact: Redd had never actually signed a contract to play the 2025 Christmas Eve Jazz Jam. She also cited Washington D.C.'s Anti-SLAPP statutes — laws designed to protect defendants from lawsuits that amount to political retribution rather than genuine legal claims (Rolling Stone).
The dismissal came just days after a federal judge ordered that Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center altogether (Rolling Stone). Redd was not the only performer to cancel events at the venue following Trump's takeover; other artists pulled out of scheduled appearances as well (Rolling Stone AU).
Redd's lawyer, Lisa J. Banks, welcomed the fee ruling. She called the Kennedy Center's lawsuit meritless and politically motivated (Rolling Stone).
What stands out is how quickly a programming dispute escalated into a six-figure legal bill for one of America's most prominent arts institutions. Redd cancelled a concert. The Kennedy Center sued a musician who had played its stages for two decades. The court found there was no contract to breach — and now the venue is paying for the argument it started.
