Legal battles over the business legacy of late Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla has erupted. One is within her family as her brother Abraham “A.B.” Quintanilla III is suing their sister, Suzette Quintanilla-Arriaga, over more than $1 million he claims he is owed from Selena’s entertainment properties.
Singer Selena (Quintanilla) receives Grammy Award at The 36th Annual Grammy Awards on March 1, 1994 in New York, New York at Radio City Music Hall. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Family Drama
A.B. and Suzette were both members of Selena y Los Dinos, the family band that launched Selena’s career under the management of their father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr.
A.B., 62, filed the lawsuit Sept. 10 in Nueces County, Texas, against Suzette and her company, Q Productions Inc., according to court documents as reported by People. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty while seeking a full accounting of the company’s finances — records he claims Suzette and Q Productions have failed or refused to provide.
At the core of the dispute is an agreement reached after Selena’s death in 1995 that divided net profits from her entertainment properties among family members and her husband, Chris Pérez. Under that deal, A.B. maintains he is entitled to 25% of the net proceeds.
According to A.B., he discovered in spring 2025 that he was not receiving the full share of profits and proceeds to which he was entitled.
Suzette and their mother, Marcella Quintanilla, have denied A.B.’s accusations.
The family dispute comes as Suzette faces another legal battle over Selena’s commercial legacy.
Earlier this year, Suzette and Q Productions sued fast-fashion retailer Shein, accusing the company of selling merchandise featuring Selena’s name, image, and likeness without authorization.
According to Billboard, Shein filed a motion Sept. 17 asking a federal judge to dismiss Q Productions’ lawsuit. The retailer argued that the disputed Selena merchandise was manufactured and sold by independent third-party vendors on its marketplace rather than by Shein itself. The company added that it removed merchandise flagged by Q Productions.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for late October, Billboard reported.
Selena was killed in 1995 at age 23. Billboard reported that she had an estimated net worth between $5 million and $10 million at the time of her death, though initial probate court filings listed her and her husband’s joint liquid assets at roughly $326,000.
