A judge ruled Monday that musician Chuck Redd was owed more than $250,000 by the center to cover attorney fees and other costs. Redd, who has performed at the center’s annual Christmas Eve jazz show for nearly two decades, canceled his scheduled appearance last December in protest of the center’s name change.
Lawyers for Redd wrote in a statement Tuesday that they found the judgment “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 plans to appeal the ruling.
The center previously attempted to sue Redd earlier this year for violating his contract, but the suit was dismissed in June.
Richard Grenell, the center’s former president, wrote in a letter to Redd “that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt,” despite the artist not having a signed contract