Kennedy Center Must Pay $250,000 to Jazz Musician

A judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay $252,479.70 in legal fees to jazz musician Chuck Redd, who was sued by the center for canceling a Christmas Eve concert in protest of the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the center's branding.

The Kennedy Center sued Chuck Redd for breach of contract after he canceled the concert, which he had hosted since 2006. However, D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya Jones Bosier dismissed the lawsuit in June, stating that there was no signed contract to be breached.

The Kennedy Center's board had voted to add President Donald Trump's name to the center's branding in December, prompting Redd to cancel the concert. The center's then-president, Richard Grenell, had threatened to sue Redd for $1 million, but later offered to settle the lawsuit for $7,500.

The judge's order to pay Redd's legal fees is a significant blow to the Kennedy Center, which plans to appeal the decision. The center had argued that Redd's cancellation of the concert had incurred damages from lost goodwill with the public, wasted marketing expenses, and sunk costs preparing for a concert that did not occur.

## What happens next The Kennedy Center has 45 days to pay the $252,479.70 in legal fees to Redd. The center's decision to appeal the judge's order is likely to prolong the legal battle between the two parties.

The case has sparked controversy over the Kennedy Center's decision to add President Trump's name to its branding, which was later removed after a board member argued that the addition was illegal. The center's actions have been criticized as an attempt to silence opposition to the name change, with Redd's attorney stating that the lawsuit was a meritless and politically motivated attempt to silence Redd's criticism of the center's actions.