TOWSON, MD — Baltimore County backstage actress Ava Grace May is facing a $30,000 defamation lawsuit after allegedly posting false criminal accusations on Instagram claiming YouTuber Levi Trumbull “stalked” and “harassed” her. Court records show May failed to respond to the lawsuit and a default judgment was entered against her on January 20, 2026, in Baltimore County Circuit Court.
The case, filed December 8, 2025, stems from Instagram posts May published on September 15, 2025, in which she accused Trumbull, 26, of Frederick, of criminal conduct. According to the complaint, May posted to her approximately 1,500 Instagram followers: "THIS GUY HAS BEEN STALKING ME" and "And then harassed me and my family for months."
The lawsuit characterizes these statements as defamation per se under Maryland law because they falsely accuse Trumbull of criminal offenses. Under Maryland Criminal Law § 3-802, stalking is a misdemeanor punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
The Business Relationship: August 2024
The parties first connected in August 2024 through the entertainment industry platform Backstage.com. Trumbull, who operates a YouTube channel with approximately 119,000 subscribers focused on government accountability and social commentary, posted a casting call on August 5, 2024, seeking an on-camera personality for his productions.
May, then 19 years old and working as a restaurant hostess 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."
After phone interviews on August 17 and August 19, 2024, Trumbull selected May from what court documents describe as "many applicants." On August 20, 2024, he sent her an offer letter stating: "I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected for this role."
May responded via text message: "AHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is so exciting," according to the complaint.
The parties arranged to meet on August 21, 2024, at a Starbucks located at 1046 W. Patrick Street in Frederick, Maryland, to finalize the arrangement. According to the complaint, Trumbull brought seven custom-drafted documents including an offer letter, talent release form, age verification, and other standard industry paperwork. He also brought $100 in cash "as a courtesy to the role, to help offset any initial minimal travel expenses."
However, when presented with the documents, May became anxious and requested more time to review them, according to court filings. The complaint states May promised "I'm going to sign them no matter what" and "you'll get them back." She left the Starbucks with the unsigned documents and the $100 cash.
The Unreturned Documents
According to the lawsuit, May never returned the documents or the money despite multiple requests. By August 28, 2024, Trumbull had received no communication from May and terminated the offer. He immediately selected another candidate, a woman named Clara, who the complaint states has since appeared in at least fourteen videos for Trumbull's channel.
On September 13, 2024, Trumbull sent May an email requesting return of his property, offering three options: in-person return at a location of her choosing, drop-off at the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, 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 at Knollton Road, Lutherville Timonium, Maryland. Again, no response came, according to court documents.
The Small Claims Case
Court records show that in late 2024, Trumbull filed a small claims action against May in Maryland District Court seeking return of his property or compensation for its value. The complaint references this litigation as "a legitimate legal proceeding brought in good faith through proper legal channels."
A trial was held, and according to the complaint, "the judge ultimately ruled in the Defendant's favor on the narrow ground that the Plaintiff could not produce a signed cash receipt or other documentary evidence definitively proving that the Defendant had received the cash payment."
The complaint emphasizes that the judge's ruling "was based purely on evidentiary standards applicable to small claims proceedings and did not constitute any finding that the Plaintiff's claims were unsubstantiated, or improper in any respect."
Following the small claims judgment, the complaint states Trumbull "accepted the court's decision and did not take any further legal action related to that matter." The parties had no direct contact for many months.
The Song and Email Exchange: September 2025
On September 10, 2025, May released a musical composition titled "Astral Stalking" on streaming platforms including Spotify and YouTube. Court exhibits include lyrics describing someone watching the narrator "through your astral eyes" with lines including "you're stalking me" and "I need to put salt around my house." Reports Indicate Trumbull received communications provoking that Ava May was releasing the song about him in attempt to upset him.
Three days later, on September 13, 2025, Trumbull sent May an email titled "The High Road." The email, quoted extensively in the complaint, stated: "I am reaching out in attempt to take the high road before I respond to some of your recent actions."
The email acknowledged the situation may have had "a lasting effect" on May and counseled that "publishing vengeful songs or TikTok's will not make you feel any better about what happened." Trumbull offered to meet on whatever "field" May chose—"whether it's the field of reconciliation and moving past this, or the field of vengeance."
The email concluded: "I would advise you to let me know within 48 hours." According to the complaint, May never responded.
The YouTube Video and Instagram Accusations
After receiving no response within the 48-hour deadline, Trumbull published a YouTube video on September 15, 2025, addressing the situation. The video, which the complaint states was labeled "Opinion, Satire, & Parody" in its description, criticized May's publicly available content using terms including "weird" and "cringy."
The complaint notes these 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," and her Instagram describes her as "an odd singer and actress thing here."
That evening at approximately 9:53 PM, May posted to her Instagram account @avagmay_. 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."
According to the complaint, the age statement was false. Trumbull was born January, 1999 (making him 26), while May was born August, 2004 (making her 21). The actual age difference is five years, not ten.
The Contradictory Posts
Less than twelve hours later, on the morning of September 16, 2025, May posted additional Instagram stories that the complaint characterizes as "among the most important pieces of evidence in this matter."
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 Cease-and-Desist and Peace Order
On the morning of September 16, 2025, Trumbull sent May an email titled "NOTICE: Cease & Desist (IMPORTANT)" with an attached formal cease-and-desist letter. The letter cited Maryland case law including Batson v. Shiflett, Piscatelli v. Van Smith, and Independent Newspapers, Inc. v. Brodie, explaining why May's statements constituted defamation per se.
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 "filing a civil lawsuit for defamation PER SE."
According to the complaint, May did not respond to the cease-and-desist letter.
Also on September 16, 2025, May filed a petition for a peace order against Trumbull in the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore County.
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.
According to court documents, May failed to properly serve Trumbull with the peace order petition. This failure occurred on four separate occasions, resulting in continued hearings. On October 8, 2025, May appeared in District Court and verbally withdrew her peace order petition.
On November 17, 2025, the District Court granted Trumbull's Motion to Shield the case record, sealing it from public access pursuant to Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 3-1510(b)(1).
The Final Demand Letter
On November 19, 2025, Trumbull sent May a comprehensive formal demand letter via USPS Signature Certified Mail. The letter, which the complaint describes as "spanning many pages," 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." According to the complaint, May did not respond to or comply with the November 19 demand letter.
The Lawsuit and Service
On December 8, 2025, Trumbull filed his Complaint for Defamation (Libel) Per Se in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. The complaint seeks 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- and post-judgment interest, and costs of suit.
Trumbull also filed a Demand for Trial by Jury pursuant to Maryland Rule 2-325.
On December 10, 2025, at approximately 7:12 PM, private process server Anthony Tyler Jarboe personally served May at her residence. According to an affidavit filed with the court, Jarboe personally delivered the summons, complaint, and accompanying documents directly into May's hands.
Trumbull filed a declaration stating he witnessed the service. According to his declaration, May and two other individuals were walking from her home toward a parked vehicle when Jarboe approached. May "initially appeared to attempt to avoid taking the documents" but "after a brief moment" took physical possession of them. Upon receiving the documents, May made "an audible sound of displeasure or frustration" before entering a vehicle while holding them.
The Default
Under Maryland Rule 2-321(a), May had thirty days from service—until January 9, 2026—to file a responsive pleading. Court records show no response was filed.
On January 16, 2026, Trumbull filed a Motion for Entry of Order of Default, supported by a memorandum, declaration, and documentation showing compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The motion noted May's "pattern of deliberate non-responsiveness."
On January 20, 2026, a Baltimore County Circuit Court judge entered an order of default against May pursuant to Maryland Rule 2-613, finding that May "failed to plead or otherwise defend as required by the Maryland Rules of Civil Procedure."
The order allows Trumbull to proceed with a hearing on damages under Maryland Rule 2-613(b).
Allegations of Harm
The complaint details harm Trumbull alleges he suffered from May's Instagram posts, including threatening and harassing messages from May's followers. The complaint states Trumbull received threats after May had publicly encouraged her followers to “SPAM” him on Instagram.
The complaint also alleges reputational damage to Trumbull's professional standing as a content creator, emotional distress from being falsely accused of crimes, forced removal of his YouTube video which had received approximately 15,000 views, and expenditure of time and resources responding to May's accusations.
Neither party is represented by legal counsel. Trumbull is proceeding pro se.
The case now awaits scheduling of a damages hearing.
*AI image used for dramatization purposes
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