A.B. Quintanilla III, Selena’s brother, has launched legal action against his sister to challenge how profits from the late Tejano icon’s music are shared.
A lawsuit filed on Thursday and reviewed by Billboard accuses Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga and her company Q Productions of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.
In a post on Instagram last week, A.B. announced that he would be suing his sister over “years of accumulated situations, decisions and circumstances”.
Thursday’s court filings show that the dispute centers on the distribution of earnings from Selena’s estate, including her music and other intellectual property rights, among family members.
A.B. contends that under a 1995 family agreement, he is entitled to a 25 percent share of the proceeds from Q Productions, the company founded by their late father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, and now run by Suzette.
He claims he learned in spring 2025, months before Abraham’s death, that his full share had not been paid to him.
Additionally, A.B.’s attorney, Jeff Lehrman, posted a video on Instagram last week highlighting that Selena’s brother served as a producer and songwriter on “some of the most iconic music that she ever made”.
“Unfortunately, he has not gotten credit for that financially and has not received what he should as a result of his contributions,” Lehrman noted.
In a statement on Instagram earlier this month, Suzette and their mother Marcella Quintanilla asserted, “There was no theft by Suzette.”
“We love A.B.,” the statement read. “He is our son and brother. But loving someone does not require us to accept false accusations or remain silent while the reputations of Suzette, Abraham and our family are called into question. We will continue to protect our family, Abraham’s memory, Selena’s memory and the truth.”
Selena was shot dead by the president of her fan club at a motel in March 1995, following a dispute over financial records. Her posthumous album, Dreaming of You, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
