Jazz musician Chuck Redd is striking back against the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Redd’s legal team at Katz Banks Kumin LLP filed a motion on Friday to dismiss a $1 million breach of contract lawsuit. The legal battle stems from Redd’s decision to cancel a scheduled Christmas Eve concert in protest of the institution’s official renaming to include the name of Donald Trump.

According to the filing, Redd argues that he was never contractually obligated to perform the holiday show. His attorneys contend that the Kennedy Center’s litigation is a strategic attempt to silence and intimidate performers who oppose the center's rebranding. The motion specifically invokes the D.C. Anti-SLAPP Act, a statute designed to protect individuals from meritless lawsuits intended to chill free speech on matters of public interest.

The controversy began after the iconic D.C. venue transitioned to its new title, The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Redd, a veteran of the jazz scene, was among the first artists to publicly withdraw from his scheduled appearances following the announcement. Redd’s defense maintains that because no formal agreement was finalized, the $1 million in damages sought by the Center is a baseless punitive measure against his political expression.