Key facts
- The Kennedy Center must pay jazz musician Chuck Redd $252,479.70 in legal fees and costs.
- A judge dismissed the Kennedy Center's lawsuit against Redd, ruling in his favor under the anti-Slapp statute.
- Redd canceled a concert in protest after the Kennedy Center's board voted to add Donald Trump's name to the venue.
- The Kennedy Center plans to appeal the judge's order.
- A prior federal judge ruled the board lacked authority to rename the Kennedy Center.
A superior court judge in Washington D.C. has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay over $250,000 in legal fees and costs to jazz musician Chuck Redd. The ruling comes after Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance in protest of the arts center's board voting to add Donald Trump's name to the institution.
Judge Tanya Jones Bosier dismissed the Kennedy Center's lawsuit against Redd, finding that the action was brought to silence protected speech under the district's anti-Slapp statute. Redd had then requested reimbursement for his legal expenses.
The Kennedy Center, which had previously threatened to sue Redd for $1 million in damages, has stated its intention to appeal the judge's order. This legal battle follows a separate federal ruling that determined the Kennedy Center's board did not have the authority to rename the venue, leading to the removal of Trump's name from its facade and official communications.