A D.C. Superior Court judge has dismissed the Kennedy Center's breach-of-contract lawsuit against jazz drummer Chuck Redd, who canceled a Christmas Eve performance to protest the venue's renaming for President Donald Trump. The center had sought $1 million in damages.
Redd, who had hosted the center's annual free "Christmas Eve Jazz Jam" since 2006, withdrew after Trump's name was added to both the building's facade and website. The center, then led by Richard Grenell, later offered a $7,500 settlement contingent on Redd performing and abandoning all "political commentary."
No Signed Contract, Court Finds
On Friday, Judge Tanya Jones Bosier ruled officials failed to prove a legally binding agreement existed. "There's no dispute that he did not sign the 2025 agreement," she said, according to the Washington Post. The dismissal came under D.C.'s anti-SLAPP statute, a law designed to block lawsuits aimed at silencing public participation.
Sanders Had Already Called Renaming Illegal
"The lawsuit against Mr. Redd was political retribution, pure and simple, by the Trump Kennedy Center, and the Court correctly saw it as such in dismissing the case with prejudice," attorney Lisa J. Banks said in a statement.
The renaming had already drawn legislative fire. In January, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced a bill to bar sitting presidents from naming federal buildings after themselves, calling Trump's move "not only outrageous, it is illegal."
The controversy deepened further in February, when Trump announced plans to close the center for two years starting July 4, for a full rebuild, describing the facility as "tired, broken, and dilapidated." The closure remains subject to board approval.
Redd's legal team confirmed the dismissal, with the musician expressing satisfaction with the court's decision in remarks to the Associated Press.
Separately, another judge recently ordered Trump's name removed from the center's facade, ruling that renaming the living memorial to President John F. Kennedy requires an act of Congress.
Redd's stand was not isolated. The pattern of artists withdrawing from Trump-aligned events has since widened. By May, at least five performers had withdrawn from the Freedom 250 concert on the National Mall ahead of July 4.
