Baltimore County, MD — A comprehensive review of court documents filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court reveals a complex defamation case against backstage actress Ava Grace May that hinges on contradictory social media posts, unreturned property, and what the plaintiff characterizes as a pattern of false criminal accusations. The lawsuit, filed by YouTuber Levi Trumbull on December 8, 2025, seeks damages of at least $30,000 and raises significant questions about accountability for statements made on social media platforms.
The Professional Relationship: August 2024
The relationship between Trumbull and May began through routine channels in the entertainment industry. On August 5, 2024, Trumbull, then 24, posted a casting call on Backstage.com seeking an on-camera video host for his YouTube channel, which focuses on law, crime, politics, and news content. The posting described an opportunity for someone to present scripted introductions for newsworthy video clips, with production using “industry standard production equipment” and shoots filmed in both indoor studio and outdoor natural environments.
May, then 19 years old and working as a restaurant hostess in Baltimore County while pursuing acting opportunities, responded to the casting call on August 7, 2024. In her cover letter, she wrote: “Thank you so much for considering me! I would love to be a host for this project I think I’m a great fit.” She provided her phone number and expressed enthusiasm for the role.
Court documents show Trumbull conducted phone interviews with May on August 17 and August 19, 2024. During these conversations, according to the complaint, May discussed her previous acting experience, including work as an extra that led to a speaking role, and she expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of some video productions she’d worked on previously. She told Trumbull she was interested in a “faster pace environment, with quicker release times for projects.”
On August 20, 2024, Trumbull selected May from many who applied and sent her an offer letter stating: “I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected for this role. From here, our next step is to arrange a time and date for you to review & sign certain select legal documentation to ensure your understanding of the operations of this role.”
May’s text response, documented in the complaint, was enthusiastic: “AHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is so exciting.”
The Starbucks Meeting: August 21, 2024
Trumbull and May arranged to meet on August 21, 2024, at a Starbucks located at 1046 W. Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21703. May had a reflexology appointment in Frederick that day and texted Trumbull when it concluded. She arrived at Starbucks approximately ten minutes early.
According to the complaint, Trumbull brought a manila envelope containing seven custom-drafted documents, The envelope also contained a white envelope with $100 cash “as a courtesy to the role, to help offset any initial minimal travel expenses.”
The complaint provides detailed description of what transpired when Trumbull presented the documents. May “grabbed the clipboard and pen” and “made a brief attempt to review the first document.” After approximately 15 seconds, according to the filing, May “seemed noticeably confused” and “appeared as if she had difficulty reading, and understanding, the English language.”
May then “became overcome with anxiety” and asked for more time to review the documents. The complaint states she “profusely” apologized, asking “Did I waste your time?” and saying “Sorry, I feel so bad” and “I just need time to process it.”
Initially hesitant to hand over the materials without signatures, Trumbull ultimately agreed after May made specific promises. The complaint quotes May as stating “I’m going to sign them no matter what” and “you’ll get them back.”
The parties then engaged in casual conversation for approximately 30 minutes, discussing May’s restaurant work, acting background, horror movies, and May’s vegetarian diet. They also discussed scheduling for upcoming video shoots, with May noting she was leaving for a beach vacation on August 23 and would be ready to start filming upon her return around August 27 or 28.
May left the Starbucks with all seven documents and the $100 cash.
The Silence: Late August 2024
According to the complaint, May never returned from her vacation with the signed documents or any communication. By August 28, 2024, having heard nothing from May, Trumbull “terminated the offer given to defendant, Ava Grace May.”
The complaint states Trumbull “immediately got to work replacing defendant May’s role” and contacted another applicant, Clara L., who “immediately accepted the offer, and subsequently appeared in Frederick, Maryland to close the offer.” As of the filing date, Clara L. has appeared in fourteen separate videos for Trumbull’s channel.
On September 13, 2024, Trumbull sent May an email requesting return of his property. The email offered three options: in-person return at “any reasonable place of your choosing,” delivery to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office with specific labeling instructions, or mailing to the Sheriff’s Office with tracking. The complaint states May never responded. On September 15, 2024, Trumbull sent a copy of the same request via first-class mail to May’s residence. Again, no response.
The Song and the Outreach: September 2025
Nearly a year later, on September 10, 2025, May released a musical composition titled “Astral Stalking” on streaming platforms including Spotify and YouTube. Court exhibits include the song’s lyrics, which describe someone watching the narrator “through your astral eyes” and include lines like “you’re stalking me” and “I need to put salt around my house.” The complaint says Trumbull received messages communicating that the song was about him in an attempt to provoke the situation…
Three days later, on September 13, 2025, Trumbull sent May an email titled “The High Road.” The complete email is quoted extensively in the complaint. It reads in part: “I am reaching out in attempt to take the high road before I respond to some of your recent actions. In light of your recent song, this message seems to be long past due.”
The email acknowledged the situation may have had “a lasting effect” on May and noted that “publishing vengeful songs or TikTok’s will not make you feel any better about what happened.” Trumbull wrote: “I encourage you to appeal to your maturity, and your better angels… if closure is what you are looking for then we can have that.”
The email concluded with an explicit offer: “I am more than willing to meet you at the field you choose, whether it’s the field of reconciliation and moving past this, or the field of vengeance… I would advise you to let me know within 48 hours.”
The complaint states: “The Defendant never responded to the September 13, 2025 email.”
The Video and the Accusations: September 15, 2025
After receiving no response within the 48-hour deadline, Trumbull published a YouTube video on September 15, 2025. The video addressed the situation with May, including their business relationship and the recent song release. The complaint emphasizes the video was labeled “Opinion, Satire, & Parody” in its description.
The content consisted primarily of Trumbull’s “personal opinions, subjective characterizations, and criticism of the Defendant’s publicly available content on TikTok and other social media platforms.” Trumbull used descriptive language including “weird,” “creepy,” and “cringy.”
Critically, the complaint notes: “these descriptive terms used by the Plaintiff are the same terms that the Defendant herself uses to describe her own content and persona.” May’s Spotify bio states she’s “spreading good weirdness around the world.” Her TikTok is labeled “my tweaking account.” Her Instagram describes her as “an odd singer and actress thing here.” The complaint states May’s sister “publicly” asserted May is into “Weird Cringy” voice acting.
At approximately 9:53 PM that evening, May posted to her Instagram account @avagmay_, which had approximately 1,500 followers. The posts included the statements: “THIS GUY HAS BEEN STALKING ME” and “And then harassed me and my family for months” and “He’s back to harassing me” and “This guy is also 10 years older than me.”
The complaint analyzes each statement for falsity. Regarding the age claim, it notes Trumbull was born in January, 1999 (making him 26), while May was born in August, 2004 (making her 21). The actual age difference is five years, not ten.
The Contradictory Posts: September 16, 2025 Morning
Less than twelve hours after posting her accusations, May published additional Instagram stories on the morning of September 16, 2025. The complaint characterizes these as “among the most important pieces of evidence in this matter because they constitute admissions by the Defendant that severely damage her credibility.”
According to court documents, May posted that Trumbull’s video “did not hurt” her and was “f*cking hilariously bad” and “gives me recognition.” She stated she would “normally would laugh” at it. The complaint argues: “A person cannot simultaneously claim that someone is stalking and harassing them in a manner that causes genuine fear or distress while also claiming that the person’s conduct ‘did not hurt’ them and is ‘hilariously bad’ and ‘gives me recognition.'”
The Legal Responses: Cease-and-Desist and Peace Order
On the morning of September 16, 2025, Trumbull sent May an email with the subject line “NOTICE: Cease & Desist (IMPORTANT).” Attached was a formal cease-and-desist letter dated September 16, 2025, providing detailed legal analysis citing Maryland cases including Batson v. Shiflett, Piscatelli v. Van Smith, Independent Newspapers, Inc. v. Brodie, and A.S. Abell Co. v. Barnes.
The letter demanded May: (1) cease publishing false or defamatory statements, (2) remove and retract the Instagram posts, and (3) issue a prominent retraction by September 25, 2025. It warned that failure to comply would result in Trumbull pursuing “all legal remedies available to me under Maryland law, including filing a civil lawsuit for defamation PER SE.”
The complaint states: “The Defendant did not respond to the cease-and-desist letter.”
Also on September 16, May filed a petition for a peace order against Trumbull in the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore County. The complaint notes the timing “suggests a retaliatory motive” as the filing came after Trumbull’s cease-and-desist letter.
In the peace order petition, May corrected her age misstatement. While she had claimed on Instagram that Trumbull was “10 years older than me,” in the petition she acknowledged he was five years older. The complaint argues this demonstrates May “either knew her Instagram statement was false when she made it or recognized within twenty-four hours that it was false but failed to correct it publicly.”
According to court documents, May failed to properly serve Trumbull with the peace order petition. This failure occurred “not once but four (4) times.” On four separate occasions, hearings were scheduled, and on four separate occasions, proceedings were continued because May failed to properly serve Trumbull.
On October 8, 2025, May appeared in District Court and verbally withdrew her peace order petition. The complaint characterizes this as “powerful evidence that the Defendant’s allegations of harassment lacked any factual basis.”
On November 17, 2025, the District Court granted Trumbull’s Motion to Shield the whole case record, sealing it from public access.
The Final Demand: November 19, 2025
On November 19, 2025, Trumbull sent May a comprehensive formal demand letter via USPS Signature Certified Mail. The complaint describes this as “spanning many pages” and providing “exhaustive legal analysis” of May’s defamatory conduct.
The letter gave May until December 5, 2025, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time to: (1) post a public retraction on Instagram, (2) send a written apology via email, and (3) provide notice of compliance. The letter explicitly offered May “a mutual release and waiver if she complied, meaning that compliance would resolve the matter without litigation.”
The complaint emphasizes: “The Plaintiff was not asking for money. He was simply asking the Defendant to tell the truth by publicly acknowledging that her accusations were false and apologizing for the harm she caused.”
According to the filing: “The Defendant did not respond to the November 19, 2025 demand letter. She did not comply with any of the demands.”
The Lawsuit: December 8, 2025
On December 8, 2025, Trumbull filed his Complaint for Defamation (Libel) Per Se in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Maryland. The 65 page complaint runs 225 numbered paragraphs and includes detailed chronology, legal analysis, and factual allegations.
The complaint alleges May’s statements constitute “defamation per se” under Maryland law because they falsely accuse Trumbull of committing criminal offenses. Under Maryland Criminal Law § 3-802, stalking is defined as maliciously engaging in a course of conduct that alarms or seriously annoys another person with intent to cause emotional distress or with knowledge the conduct is likely to cause emotional distress, or with intent to place or knowledge that conduct is likely to place the other person in reasonable fear of serious bodily injury, assault, rape, false imprisonment, or death. Stalking is a misdemeanor punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
The complaint cites longstanding Maryland precedent that false statements accusing an individual of criminal conduct constitute defamation per se, meaning harm to reputation is presumed as a matter of law and the plaintiff need not prove special damages.
To establish defamation under Maryland law, the complaint notes a plaintiff must prove four elements: (1) the defendant made a defamatory statement to a third party; (2) the statement was false; (3) the defendant was at fault in making the statement; and (4) the plaintiff suffered harm.
The complaint requests: general damages of at least $30,000; an order requiring May to publish a retraction and apology; a permanent injunction preventing further defamatory statements; pre-judgment interest from September 15, 2025; post-judgment interest; and costs of suit.
Trumbull also filed a Demand for Trial by Jury pursuant to Maryland Rule 2-325.
Service of Process: December 10, 2025
On December 10, 2025, at approximately 7:12 PM, private process server Anthony Tyler Jarboe personally served May at her residence located on Knollton Road, Lutherville Timonium, Maryland 21093.
Trumbull accompanied Jarboe and witnessed the service. In a declaration filed with the court, Trumbull states he observed three individuals—May, a female believed to be her sister, and an unknown male—walking from the home toward a parked vehicle. Jarboe approached the group and identified himself as being with the Baltimore County Circuit Court. He walked directly up to May and extended his hand holding the documents.
According to Trumbull’s declaration, May “initially appeared to attempt to avoid taking the documents or hesitated to accept them. However, after a brief moment, Defendant did take physical possession of the documents.” Upon taking them, May made “an audible sound of displeasure or frustration, which I would phonetically describe as ‘ughhh.'” She then entered the passenger side of the vehicle while holding the documents.
The Affidavit of Private Process Server confirms personal service was accomplished in accordance with Maryland Rule 2-121(a)(1).
Under Maryland Rule 2-321(a), May had thirty days from service—until January 9, 2026—to file an Answer or other responsive pleading. Court records show no response has been filed as of January 20, 2026, when a default order was entered.
The case now proceeds with May in default, having failed to participate in the legal process despite proper service and ample notice.
*AI image used for dramatization purposes
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