A judge has dismissed the Trump administration's $1 million lawsuit against jazz musician Chuck Redd, ending a legal dispute that began with a Christmas concert cancellation at the Kennedy Center.
Redd has run the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam at the Kennedy Center since 2006. Last December, he cancelled the annual concert after the venue added Donald Trump's name to its official designation. "When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert," Redd said at the time.
Richard Grenell, then-Kennedy Center president, sued Redd for $1 million, claiming the cancellation caused financial harm to the non-profit. Redd's legal team filed for dismissal in March, and on Friday, a judge granted it by invoking Washington, D.C.'s Anti-SLAPP laws, which protect defendants against meritless lawsuits.
The Kennedy Center's name change has since been reversed by a district judge. The lawsuit is now dismissed.
