James Kennedy’s arrest was reportedly not the first time he had been violent towards a woman.

Just months before Kennedy, 32, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence on December 10, his ex-fiancée Rachel “Raquel” Leviss accused him of violence in a lawsuit.

In a lawsuit against her former Vanderpump Rules Leviss, co-stars Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval, as well as Bravo and their production companies, claimed Kennedy behaved abusively while she was with him.

“Leviss made her first appearance on the show as the girlfriend of cast member James Kennedy, a DJ prone to violent outbursts and struggling with long-standing substance abuse issues and emotional dysregulation,” says the lawsuit, which was filed in February 2024 and is still ongoing . “Kennedy regularly insulted Leviss, falsely accused her of fraud, and generally behaved awkwardly. Some of this was captured on camera; some were not. Leviss eventually warned Kennedy that she would leave him if he didn’t stop drinking. However, she soon learned that his abhorrent behavior was not solely due to alcohol abuse.”

“During Thanksgiving with Leviss’ family in Arizona, Kennedy violently attacked Leviss’ mother and father, kicking their family dog ​​four times in an uncontrollable rage. In 2021, Levis ended their relationship and called off their engagement. “Kennedy’s history of violent and dangerous behavior was well known to Bravo, Evolution and the cast,” the lawsuit states.

“Kennedy once physically assaulted then-actress Kristin (sic) Doute on camera; However, the footage was never broadcast,” it added. “Kennedy also faced no consequences for his actions – which would otherwise have been at least flammable – due in part to the intervention of his powerful ally Lisa Vanderpump, who acted as his protector.”

PEOPLE has reached out to representatives for Vanderpump, Bravo and Evolution for comment.

Shortly after TMZ broke the news of Kennedy’s arrest on December 12, Doute, who dated Kennedy from 2014 to 2015, responded on her Instagram Stories. Alongside a screenshot of the article, she wrote: “FINALLY.”

Leviss’ attorneys, Mark Geragos and Bryan Freedman, also addressed his arrest in a statement to PEOPLE.

“We are aware of the recent arrest of James Kennedy for domestic violence,” they said. “Unfortunately, this news is not surprising. Rachel’s lawsuit details Mr. Kennedy’s long history of erratic, violent behavior and drug abuse. Equally worrying, however, is that NBC and Evolution (the Vanderpump Rules production company), who always knew about Mr. Kennedy’s disturbing behavior, were involved in a multi-year cover-up on his behalf. They also have responsibility.”

Before the lawsuit, Leviss also spoke about Kennedy’s violent actions Vanderpump Rules.

In a February 2020 episode, Kennedy berated Leviss on the phone for missing his DJ set, but the two reconciled shortly after. In another episode that aired in March 2020, Kennedy sent Leviss text messages in which he called her derogatory names and threatened to break up with her after she didn’t return his calls.

“No girl goes into a relationship thinking that she will be insulted. It scares me. “I never want to go through this again,” she said, later telling Kennedy, “I’m not going to blame myself for your actions… And if you don’t manage to pull yourself together, then we’re going to end it.”

On December 10 around 11:30 p.m., Burbank police responded to a call at Kennedy’s Los Angeles home “regarding an argument between a man and a woman,” a police spokesperson told PEOPLE.

“The investigation determined this was a domestic incident that led to (Kennedy’s) arrest,” the spokesman said. “(Kennedy) was charged with domestic violence and later released on bail. The formal charges remain pending review by the Burbank City Attorney’s Office.”

According to TMZ, which first broke the news and cited a law enforcement source, a witness reportedly saw Kennedy making contact with an unnamed woman, although authorities did not find any injuries when they arrived at the scene. According to media reports, he was released on $20,000 bail.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

It is unclear whether the woman was Kennedy’s current girlfriend, Ally Lewber, but the couple had been together at Kathy Hilton’s annual Christmas party earlier that evening. A source tells PEOPLE that Kennedy exhibited strange behavior at the event.

“He was acting so erratically, running back and forth to the bar, checking people as he went,” the insider claimed of Kennedy. “He seemed drunk. Spent most of the evening alone, but when he spoke to people he appeared irritable and rude.

PEOPLE has reached out to Kennedy and Lewber for comment.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available around the clock in more than 170 languages.