A.B. Quintanilla III, the brother of late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Perez, has filed a lawsuit against his sister Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga and two corporate entities, accusing them of withholding his contractual share of profits tied to Selena's entertainment legacy. The suit was filed in Nueces County, Texas, and seeks more than $1 million in damages along with a full accounting of the estate's finances dating back to January 2016.
According to KSAT, the lawsuit accuses Q Production, Inc. and Q Productions, Inc. of denying A.B. Quintanilla III the profit share he is owed under a 1995 agreement, and includes claims of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. The petition states that A.B. has not received his contractual share of profits since 2016, and that the defendants have not provided him with the complete accounting report he requested. He is asking for a jury trial and attorney's fees, on top of the damages sought.
The dispute traces back to the Estate Properties Agreement signed in the months following Selena's death in 1995. As detailed by HOLA, the contract was signed by Chris Pérez, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., Marcella Quintanilla, A.B. Quintanilla III and Suzette Quintanilla, and it granted Abraham ownership of Selena's entertainment rights while dividing net commercial profits equally among the family members and her widower. Under that agreement, A.B. was entitled to 25% of net profits generated by Selena's entertainment properties, which include her name, voice, image, likeness, and other intellectual property rights, according to the lawsuit.
A Family Business in Transition
Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga assumed operational control of Q Productions around 2016, according to the petition, as Abraham Quintanilla Jr. gradually transferred responsibilities to her. Abraham, who had maintained total operational and managerial control over Selena's estate and Q Productions for three decades, died in December 2025 at age 86, according to the Los Angeles Times. His death fully shifted operational authority over Selena's estate to Suzette, closing out a long-standing family dynamic in which Abraham had managed all commercial rights, licensing deals, and museum operations.
A.B. says he discovered the alleged underpayments in spring 2025. Corpus Christi attorney Jeff Lehrman, who represents A.B., said formal demand letters were served to Suzette that year requesting a full accounting of estate assets, liabilities, and income, according to KSAB Tejano 99.9. Lehrman claimed Suzette ignored the formal demands and instead responded with self-serving statements.
Conflicting Accounts Before the Filing
Before the formal court filing, Suzette Quintanilla and her mother Marcella Quintanilla issued a joint statement saying Suzette had never been served with a lawsuit and denying accusations of financial wrongdoing, the Los Angeles Times reported. That statement came after A.B. Quintanilla had previously posted online claiming a dispute over fiduciary duties was already active, illustrating the public confusion within the family in the days leading up to the Nueces County filing.
Early entertainment industry reports in late August had claimed A.B. was seeking up to $48 million from Suzette over unpaid royalties, according to Tejano Nation. That figure contrasts with the actual petition, which requests more than $1 million in damages, and initial speculation had focused on songwriting royalties and potential catalog sales before any court filing existed.
Pérez Says He Won't Take Sides
Selena's widower, Chris Pérez, who signed the 1995 profit-sharing agreement and was married to Selena at the time of her death, said on social media Thursday that he has no intention of taking a legal position or getting involved on either side of the dispute, per Complex. Pérez's public stance underscores how the 1995 contract created distinct legal and financial stakes for each signer, even as the fight plays out between two of his late wife's siblings.
The 1995 agreement has generated litigation before. Starting in 2016, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. sued Pérez to prevent a television adaptation of Pérez's memoir, To Selena, With Love, according to Courthouse News Service. Courts ultimately upheld Abraham's broad authority under the 1995 agreement to control television and film rights, a precedent that speaks to how tightly the family contract has governed commercial decisions around Selena's legacy.
Q Productions' Corpus Christi Roots
Q Productions was established by Abraham Quintanilla Jr. in Corpus Christi in 1993, and it serves as the central operational hub for Selena's music releases, commercial licensing, and the official Selena Museum, according to a Facebook video report. The Corpus Christi headquarters houses her Grammy awards, costumes, and recording studios.
A.B. Quintanilla III served as the primary songwriter, producer, and arranger for Selena y Los Dinos, composing many of Selena's biggest hits and producing her landmark 1994 album Amor Prohibido, Tejano Nation reported. His musical contributions helped build the very catalog that Q Productions continues to manage and monetize today.
Q Productions and Suzette have also recently pursued litigation of their own outside the family. In March, Suzette Quintanilla and Q Productions filed a federal trademark lawsuit in California accusing fast-fashion retailer Shein of selling unauthorized apparel featuring Selena's image and likeness, Hoodline previously reported. That suit alleged unauthorized marketplace sales continued despite cease-and-desist letters sent in August 2025.
It remains unclear what net profits Q Productions has actually earned across television, merchandise, and licensing deals over the past decade, and how a court will evaluate fiduciary responsibilities in the wake of Abraham's death. Those questions are now expected to play out in Nueces County court as A.B. Quintanilla III pursues his jury trial demand against his sister and the two Q Productions entities.
