A judge ordered the Kennedy Center to pay over $250,000 in legal fees to jazz musician Chuck Redd after he canceled his Christmas concert in protest of President Donald Trump.
Redd canceled the annual Christmas Eve performance he hosted at the cultural center in December after nearly 20 years, after Trump added his name to the building’s facade. The center sued the artist over a breach of contract, seeking $1 million in damages. The lawsuit was dismissed by Biden-appointed Judge Tanya Jones in June, who then ruled on Monday that the Kennedy Center must pay him $252,479 to cover his legal fees.
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Redd had requested $258,325.72, to which the Kennedy Center filed a 21-page opposition. The argument barely moved the needle, reducing the total by just over 2%.
Much of the ruling was occupied by a deep-in-the-weeds legal battle over how to calculate the hourly breakdown of lawyers’ fees. Redd’s counsel used the Fitzpatrick Matrix, which is used by the Justice Department. But Jones rejected this method of measurement, opting instead to use the Laffey Matrix, as preferred by the D.C. Court of Appeals.
In her ruling, Jones criticized the Kennedy Center’s conduct, noting the theater’s repeated failure to meet filing deadlines.
Redd’s attorneys were happy with the ruling. Lisa Banks, one of his attorneys, told several outlets that the ruling was appropriate.
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“No citizen should have to spend time and money fending off baseless and politically motivated lawsuits filed by the Trump Administration,” she said in a statement.
The Kennedy Center plans to appeal the ruling.
