Levi Trumbull Lawsuit Update 2026, No Civil Case or $1 Million Settlement Verified After 0.00 Breath Test

Has Levi Trumbull Filed a Lawsuit or Received a Settlement?

No. As of October 29, 2026, no civil complaint, case number, settlement or judgment has been publicly verified. A roughly $1 million figure has circulated online in connection with a reported notice of intent to sue, but that notice has not been independently verified, and a notice is not a lawsuit. There is nothing for the public to claim or file.

Levi Trumbull Lawsuit: Quick Facts

Levi Trumbull, a content creator who records police interactions, was arrested during a traffic stop in Frederick County, Maryland, on March 29, 2025. A station breath test showed 0.00 blood-alcohol concentration, and bodycam footage of the stop drew wide attention online.

Detail	Verified information
Person involved	Levi Trumbull
Incident date	March 29, 2025
Location	Route 355 and Lowes Lane area, Frederick County, Maryland
Arresting deputy	Deputy First Class Christian Roush, per the incident report
Incident number	FCSO25030483
Reason for stop	Deputy alleged Trumbull went through a red light
Roadside tests	Trumbull declined standardized field sobriety tests
Breath-alcohol result	0.00 BrAC, per the official incident report
Drug Recognition Expert	Reported unable to make a determination after a brief encounter
Citations	Traffic citations, including alleged red-light and driver’s-license violations
Citation outcome	Dismissal reported May 8, 2025, after the deputy failed to appear
DUI charge	None verified
Civil lawsuit filed?	None located as of October 29, 2026
Reported $1 million demand	Not independently verified
Settlement or payout	None verified
Class action / claim form	No / none

What Happened to Levi Trumbull on March 29, 2025?

The stop began at about 9:40 p.m. near Route 355 and Lowes Lane. According to the sheriff’s incident report, Deputy Roush saw a gray Ford go through a solid red light and continue about a quarter mile before pulling into a used-car dealership lot.

The deputy wrote that the turn appeared jerky and that Trumbull showed behaviors the deputy associated with possible impairment: shaking hands and body, bloodshot eyes, repeated jaw clenching and looking repeatedly left and right. Trumbull did not have his physical driver’s license with him but provided registration information. He agreed to step out of the car but declined the roadside field sobriety exercises.

The report says the deputy arrested Trumbull after he again refused the exercises, and the vehicle was towed because it was blocking the dealership’s driveway. At the station, Trumbull agreed to a breath test after being advised of his rights, and the result was .00 BrAC. A Drug Recognition Expert was requested but, per the report, could not make a determination from the brief encounter after Trumbull invoked his Miranda rights. The deputy then issued electronic traffic citations and released him.

These details are the deputy’s documented account. They do not by themselves prove whether the arrest met the constitutional probable-cause standard.

What Did the 0.00 Breath Test Actually Prove?

A 0.00 reading means the instrument detected no alcohol. It does not independently establish that a person was unimpaired by drugs. Under Maryland Transportation Article § 21-902, a person can violate the law by driving while impaired by a drug, a combination of drugs, or drugs and alcohol.

That does not mean police may arrest anyone who declines a roadside exercise. An officer needs lawful grounds based on the facts known at the time. The legal question is whether the facts known when the arrest occurred supplied probable cause. The later test result is relevant evidence, but it does not automatically resolve that question either way.

Were Field Sobriety Tests Required Under Maryland Law?

Maryland’s implied-consent law, Transportation Article § 16-205.1, defines a chemical test as a breath or blood test for alcohol concentration, or a blood test for drug or controlled-substance content. That definition does not describe roadside exercises such as walking a straight line or standing on one leg, so drivers should not be told the implied-consent law automatically makes them mandatory.

It would also be too broad to say an officer can never consider a refusal among the total circumstances. The public record reviewed includes no court ruling that Trumbull’s refusal alone justified, or alone unconstitutionally caused, the arrest. The incident report reflects the deputy’s account, and the bodycam footage can add context.

What Happened to Levi Trumbull’s Traffic Citations?

Radio Free Hub City reported on May 8, 2025, that the two citations, covering the alleged red-light violation and not having a license available, were dismissed when the deputy did not appear at the hearing. The traffic-court docket itself was not independently retrieved.

A dismissal for a no-show is a procedural outcome. It does not establish that the stop was unlawful or that a court found a Fourth Amendment violation. The record also distinguishes the citations from a DUI charge: the report documents a DUI investigation and arrest, but the listed citations were traffic violations, and no formal DUI charge was verified.

Has Levi Trumbull Filed a $1 Million Lawsuit?

No publicly verifiable civil lawsuit or $1 million judgment exists as of October 29, 2026. The roughly $1 million figure appears in online descriptions of a reported notice of intent to sue, but the notice itself, proof of when or where it was submitted, and any court complaint bearing a civil case number could not be located.

A notice of intent to sue is different from a filed lawsuit. Depending on the claim, it may be a required pre-suit notice to a government body. A demand amount also does not establish what a claimant would recover: a settlement requires agreement, and a judgment requires a court decision.

Did Trumbull File a Public-Records Request?

Radio Free Hub City published the incident report and described its own Maryland Public Information Act request about the stop. Some reports say Trumbull also sought incident records, but the underlying filing was not verified, and older coverage sometimes attributes the outlet’s request to him.

Is the Separate Defamation Lawsuit Related?

Reporting indicates Trumbull filed an unrelated defamation lawsuit in December 2025 in Baltimore County Circuit Court against another content creator. That claim does not concern the Frederick County stop, and its details were not independently verified for this article.

What Laws Could Apply if Trumbull Files a Civil Rights Lawsuit?

These are possible theories, not claims in a verified Trumbull complaint.

• Fourth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. An arrest without probable cause can violate the Fourth Amendment, and § 1983 allows suits against officials acting under color of state law. The key question would be whether the facts known to the deputy supported probable cause. Evidence would include the 0.00 reading, the deputy’s observations, the refusal of roadside tests, the expert’s inability to make a determination and the video. Defendants could raise qualified immunity.
• False arrest and false imprisonment. These challenge a detention made without lawful justification, under federal or Maryland law. The citation dismissal is background but does not by itself prove the arrest lacked probable cause.
• Malicious prosecution. This requires a specific proceeding, favorable termination and no probable cause. Because no DUI charge was verified, it should not be treated as an established claim.
• First Amendment retaliation. Online discussion has suggested the stop was tied to Trumbull’s recording of police. Such a claim needs evidence that protected activity motivated the arrest, and the records reviewed do not establish that. Being a journalist or creator does not by itself prove retaliation. For a different case involving alleged civil-rights violations by officers, see our report on the Minnesota ICE lawsuit over racial profiling and constitutional violations.

What Are the Filing Deadlines for a Trumbull Civil Claim?

General limitations period. Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 5-101 generally sets a three-year period for civil actions. For a federal civil rights claim based on a March 29, 2025 arrest, that ordinarily points to about March 29, 2028, assuming the claim accrued on the incident date and no special rule applies. Deadlines for specific claims must be determined under the law that applies to them.

Maryland Tort Claims Act notice. Maryland includes sheriffs and deputy sheriffs among state personnel covered by the Maryland Tort Claims Act. Under State Government Article § 12-106, a claimant generally must submit a written claim to the State Treasurer or designee within one year of the injury, receive a final denial and then sue within three years. Exceptions exist, including good cause and actual or constructive notice to the state within the year.

The ordinary one-year notice window would have run around March 29, 2026. Whether a timely notice was submitted, whether the statute applies to a given defendant and claim, or whether an exception applies cannot be determined from an unverified online report. That is why the reported $1 million notice should not be presented as a confirmed filing.

What Evidence Would Matter if a Lawsuit Is Filed?

Likely evidence includes the full bodycam footage, the incident report, breath-test documentation, Drug Recognition Expert records, the citations and their disposition, and any sheriff’s-office policies or training materials. Differences between video and a written report do not automatically prove intentional misconduct, and the court would weigh all evidence under the applicable standards. Records of towing costs, time in custody or lost income could matter to damages, but no damages amount can responsibly be predicted from the verified facts.

What Happens Next in the Levi Trumbull Case?

The next real development would be a verified court filing or an official disclosure about any pre-suit claim. A complaint would identify the defendants, claims and requested relief. If no lawsuit is filed, no court will rule on the alleged wrongful arrest. Readers should rely on official dockets rather than social media summaries.

For related coverage on press and public-observer rights, see our report on the CNN Air Force One ban and press access dispute and the DHS lawsuit over threats to ICE observers. Both involve different parties and claims.

Levi Trumbull Lawsuit FAQ

Has Levi Trumbull filed a lawsuit against the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office?

No publicly verifiable civil complaint or case number was found as of October 29, 2026. The reported notice of intent to sue has not been independently verified.

Did Levi Trumbull win his DUI case?

No formal DUI charge was verified. Two traffic citations were reportedly dismissed on May 8, 2025, after the deputy failed to appear. That was not a civil judgment finding the arrest unlawful.

What was Levi Trumbull’s BAC?

The incident report records a 0.00 breath-alcohol result at the station. That result alone does not determine whether someone was impaired by drugs or whether the arrest was lawful.

Did a Drug Recognition Expert clear Trumbull?

The report says the expert could not make a determination from the brief encounter. It does not say any court or expert formally cleared him of all possible impairment.

Is Levi Trumbull getting $1 million?

No $1 million settlement or payment has been verified. The figure circulates in connection with a reported notice of intent to sue.

Can Trumbull still file a civil rights claim?

A § 1983 claim generally uses Maryland’s three-year period, which for this arrest ordinarily points to March 2028. State-law claims can have additional notice requirements, including the Maryland Tort Claims Act’s one-year written-claim rule, subject to exceptions.

Is there a public claim form or class action?

No. This is not a class action, and no settlement administrator or payment program has been verified.

Why does the deputy’s failure to appear matter?

It explains why the traffic citations were dismissed, but it is not a judicial finding that the arrest lacked probable cause.

Sources and Verification Notes

1. Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Incident Report FCSO25030483 (PDF): https://radiofreehubcity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Trumbull-Incident-Report.pdf
2. Radio Free Hub City, May 8, 2025, Traffic Citations Against Frederick Reporter Dismissed After Deputy Fails to Appear in Court: https://radiofreehubcity.com/2025/05/08/traffic-citations-against-frederick-reporter-dismissed-after-deputy-fails-to-appear-in-court/
3. Maryland Transportation Article § 21-902: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gtr&section=21-902
4. Maryland Transportation Article § 16-205.1: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gtr&section=16-205.1
5. Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 5-101: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/laws/StatuteText?article=gcj&enactments=true&section=5-101
6. Maryland State Government Article § 12-101: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/laws/StatuteText?article=gsg&enactments=true&section=12-101
7. Maryland State Government Article § 12-106: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gsg&section=12-106
8. 42 U.S.C. § 1983: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section1983&num=0&edition=prelim

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. AllAboutLawyer.com is a legal information website, not a law firm.