Chuck Redd was awarded $252,000 in legal fees and costs on Aug. 11, 2026, after a Washington, D.C., judge dismissed the Kennedy Center’s lawsuit over his decision to withdraw from a Christmas Eve concert. Redd had cited opposition to the center’s rebranding that added Donald J. Trump ’s name. Redd had hosted and performed at the Kennedy Center’s annual Christmas Eve concerts for years, but he pulled out of the planned December 2025 show. The Kennedy Center, temporarily branded the Trump Kennedy Center after Trump allies took control, responded with a breach of contract lawsuit and a threat to seek $1 million in damages. Why Did the Kennedy Center Owe Him? In June, D.C. Superior Court Judge Tanya Jones Bosier threw out the case because Redd had not signed the 2025 performance agreement. The Kennedy Center argued that Redd had accepted a written deal to perform for $6,500, but the judge said the organization had not established a valid breach of contract claim. Lisa J. Banks, one of Redd’s attorneys, said the lawsuit was intended to punish Redd’s opposition to the name change and called the court’s fee award appropriate. Richard Grenell, who was then president of the Kennedy Center, had warned Redd that the institution would pursue $1 million over what he called a political stunt; the failed lawsuit now leaves the organization responsible for Redd’s substantial legal bill.