Selena’s brother, A.B. Quintanilla III, has made good on threats to sue his sister over profits from the late Tejano star’s music.
A Thursday (Sept. 10) lawsuit, obtained by Billboard, accuses Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga and her company Q Productions of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. A.B. is seeking unspecified financial damages but believes he’s owed more than $1 million in the case.
In an Instagram post last week, A.B. said he would be suing his sister over “years of accumulated situations, decisions and circumstances.” Thursday’s court filings reveal that the dispute is over the way profits from Selena’s estate, including her music and other intellectual property rights, are divided amongst the family.
In the wake of Selena’s tragic 1995 death, the Quintanilla family signed an agreement organizing the estate’s finances. A.B. alleges that this agreement entitles him to a 25% share of the proceeds from Q Productions, the company founded by his late father Abraham Quintanilla Jr. and now run by Suzette.
A.B. claims he discovered in the spring of 2025 — just months before Abraham’s death — that he had not been receiving all the profits he was entitled to under the 1995 deal. He says he asked Suzette for the Q Productions balance sheet and a full accounting of royalties and licensing fees, but she allegedly refused.
“The amount due to Plaintiff cannot be fully determined without an accounting because Defendants possess or control material information concerning the entertainment properties, the income generated from them, expenses attributed to them, and distributions made from their net profits,” reads the lawsuit. “Plaintiff seeks recovery of actual damages in an amount within the jurisdictional limits of this Court, including unpaid distributions, net profits, proceeds, interest, and other damages established through discovery and accounting.”
A.B.’s attorney, Jeff Lehrman, posted a video on Instagram last week pointing out that Selena’s brother was 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,” said Lehrman. “In addition to that, he’s also a beneficiary of the estate. So regardless of his role as a producer, he’s entitled to income, and he’s entitled to very basic accounting.”
Suzette and her lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment on the lawsuit Thursday. In a previous statement on Instagram, Suzette and her mother Marcella Quintanilla said, “There was no theft by Suzette.”
“We love A.B.,” read the statement. “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.”
