A.B. Quintanilla Says He Is Owed 25% of Selena Profits, Seeks More Than $1M From Sister Suzette
A.B. Quintanilla III has formally sued his sister Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga, alleging he has been underpaid for years under a family agreement covering profits tied to Selena's entertainment properties.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Nueces County, Texas, names Suzette and family businesses Q Production Inc. and Q Productions Inc. as defendants. A.B. accuses them of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty and seeks more than $1 million along with nearly a decade of financial records.
The filing provides the first detailed account of the legal dispute A.B. made public earlier this month, when he said a lawsuit involving Suzette and circumstances surrounding their late father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., was underway.
At the time, reports circulated that the family dispute could involve as much as $48 million. A.B. never confirmed that figure or identified how much he intended to seek.
The lawsuit now places his requested monetary relief at more than $1 million, although A.B. claims he cannot determine the full amount he may be owed without access to financial records controlled by Suzette and Q Productions.
His allegations center on a May 1995 Estate Properties Agreement signed after Selena was killed at age 23. A.B., Suzette, their mother Marcella Quintanilla, their father Abraham, and Selena's husband, Chris Pérez, were parties to the agreement.
A.B. alleges the deal entitles him to 25% of the net profits generated from Selena's entertainment properties, including intellectual property associated with her name, voice, image, and likeness.
The lawsuit claims those distributions began falling short around 2016, as Abraham gradually transferred operational responsibilities at Q Productions to Suzette. According to the petition, Suzette gained control over the businesses and financial records connected to Selena's entertainment properties.
A.B. says he did not discover the alleged discrepancies until spring 2025, months before Abraham died in December.
He claims he subsequently asked for financial records showing income, royalties, licensing revenue, expenses, and distributions, but was not provided a complete accounting.
A.B. is now asking the court to order an accounting covering the period from January 1, 2016, to the present. He is also seeking unpaid distributions, net profits, interest, attorney's fees, and other damages that may be established as the case proceeds.
Access to those records could determine whether A.B. received the share he claims the 1995 agreement guarantees and how much money, if any, remains unpaid.
The lawsuit does not allege that A.B. owns 25% of Selena's estate or every asset associated with her legacy. His claim concerns a 25% interest in net profits from the entertainment properties covered by the family agreement.
A.B.'s attorney, Jeff Lehrman, had previewed the dispute before the petition was filed, pointing in part to his client's work as a producer and songwriter on Selena's recordings.
A.B. produced and co-wrote some of Selena's best-known music as a member of Selena y Los Dinos, including songs that remain part of her commercial catalog. Lehrman has said, however, that his client's demand for financial information and distributions does not depend solely on his production and songwriting work.
"Regardless of his role as a producer, he's entitled to income, and he's entitled to very basic accounting," Lehrman said before the filing.
Suzette has not publicly responded to the allegations in the filed petition. Before the lawsuit appeared on the court docket, she and Marcella strongly denied A.B.'s accusations and disputed suggestions that Suzette had improperly taken family money or property.
"There was no theft by Suzette," they said in a statement posted through Selena's official Instagram account.
The statement also denied that Suzette had stolen or misappropriated property belonging to A.B., Abraham, Pérez, Selena's estate or the family's businesses. A.B. responded at the time by releasing documents he said showed that Suzette and her attorneys had already received demands for contracts, financial records and other information.
Pérez has said he does not intend to take sides in the dispute between Selena's siblings.
A.B. has requested a jury trial. His lawsuit now puts the family's competing accounts before a Texas court, where the dispute is expected to focus on the 1995 agreement, financial records dating back to 2016, and whether A.B. received the share of Selena-related profits he claims he was promised.
