The Washington Post reported that a D.C. Superior Court judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay about $252,000 in Chuck Redd’s legal fees and costs. The award matters because it shifts the financial consequences of the dismissed contract case to the center.
Key Facts
- D.C. Superior Court: The Washington Post and The Daily Beast reported an award of about $252,000 in legal fees and costs.
- Procedural status: The award followed the June dismissal of the Kennedy Center’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against Redd.
- Next step: A Kennedy Center spokesperson told The Washington Post that the institution planned to appeal.
What the court action does
The Post reported that Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier entered the fee-and-cost order on August 10, 2026. The Daily Beast separately reported an award of approximately $252,000.
The award is not damages for Redd’s canceled performance. It covers attorney fees and litigation costs arising from the Kennedy Center’s unsuccessful civil case.
D.C. law permits courts to award reasonable attorney fees and litigation costs to a party prevailing on an Anti-SLAPP special motion. The District of Columbia’s Anti-SLAPP Act provides a special-motion procedure to challenge claims arising from protected advocacy on public issues.
How the dispute reached this point
The Kennedy Center sued Redd for breach of contract after he withdrew from its 2025 Christmas Eve jazz concert. Redd said he withdrew after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the institution.
Redd’s filed March motion said he never signed the proposed performance agreement. It asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit under the D.C. Anti-SLAPP Act and award his fees and costs.
The Washington Post reported that Judge Jones Bosier dismissed the lawsuit in June after finding no legally binding agreement. The dismissal ended the center’s breach-of-contract claim in the trial court.
What each side argued
The Kennedy Center maintained that Redd had agreed to perform despite the absence of his signature. Its lawyers later argued that the requested legal fees were excessive and disproportionate, according to The Washington Post and The Daily Beast.
Redd’s lawyers described the fee award as appropriate and maintained that the lawsuit targeted his protected opposition to the name change. That characterization represents Redd’s position rather than a separate finding about anyone’s motive.
What happens next
A Kennedy Center spokesperson told The Washington Post that the institution planned to appeal. That statement describes an intended next step and does not establish that an appeal was filed.
The reported fee order does not establish that the Kennedy Center has paid the award. It also does not resolve any future appellate challenge.
