Case Update: Court Orders Kennedy Center to Pay Attorneys’ Fees and Costs in Chuck Redd Matter
Washington, D.C. — A Superior Court judge today ordered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to pay attorneys’ fees and costs in their lawsuit against Chuck Redd, an acclaimed jazz drummer and vibraphonist. The judge previously granted, in June, Mr. Redd’s special motion to dismiss brought pursuant to the District of Columbia’s Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) Act, which empowers defendants to fend off baseless lawsuits brought to intimidate and silence opposing points of view on matters of public interest.
“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,” said Lisa J. Banks, attorney for Mr. Redd. “Now the court has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay Mr. Redd’s legal fees, which is appropriate as no citizen should have to spend time and money fending off baseless and politically motivated lawsuits filed by the Trump Administration.”
The Kennedy Center filed suit against Mr. Redd following his decision not to perform at the Center’s annual “Christmas Eve Jazz Jam,” a free public concert, after the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees voted to rename the institution to add Donald J. Trump’s name.[i]
After Mr. Redd made a statement to an AP reporter explaining that he chose not to perform because of the name change of the Kennedy Center, Richard Grenell, the former President of the Center, sent Mr. Redd a scathing letter in which he provided “official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.” Despite not having a signed contract nor incurring any costs from the cancellation, the Trump Kennedy Center filed suit against Mr. Redd on March 6, 2026.
Mr. Redd’s attorneys filed the Special Motion to Dismiss on his behalf on March 27, 2026.
Debra S. Katz, Lisa J. Banks, Susanna Barron, and Jesse Broad-Cavanagh, attorneys at Katz Banks Kumin LLP, represent Mr. Redd in this matter.
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The attorneys of Katz Banks Kumin LLP are nationally recognized leaders in civil rights, employment, and whistleblower law. The firm handles cases nationwide with offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. https://katzbanks.com
[i] The decision to rename the institution to the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” was recently found to violate the law and the Kennedy Center was ordered to reverse the usage of signage and branding with that name.