Kennedy Center must pay $250,000 in legal fees to musician who canceled in protest
A Washington, D.C. judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay over $250,000 in legal fees to jazz musician Chuck Redd. Redd had canceled his performance in protest after President Trump's name was added to the building's facade, leading to a failed lawsuit by the center.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights the application of anti-SLAPP laws in protecting artists who engage in political protest against institutional pressure.
A superior court judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the Kennedy Center to pay more than $250,000 to a jazz musician who last December canceled the annual Christmas Eve performance he had hosted there for nearly 20 years. Chuck Redd, a vibraphonist and drummer, decided to cancel the concert after President Trump's name was added to the facade of the arts center that month.
After Redd canceled the performance, the Kennedy Center vowed to sue Redd for $1 million in damages. In June, Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier dismissed the center's breach of contract suit against Redd, granting his motion to dismiss the case under the district's anti-SLAPP statute, a law designed to protect public interest speech.
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