After multiples reports were posted in social media, Selena's brother A.B. Quintanilla III has broken his silence about a legal dispute involving his sister Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga and circumstances connected to their late father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., describing it as the culmination of years of family tensions, accumulated decisions and grievances that have never been made public.
The musician, producer and older brother of late Tejano icon Selena Quintanilla issued an official statement after receiving what he described as numerous inquiries from news organizations.
"Yes, there is a lawsuit related to Suzette Arriaga, as well as facts and circumstances related to my father, Abraham Quintanilla," A.B. wrote in an statement published in English and Spanish on Instagram.
His wording is significant. A.B. did not say in the statement that he had sued both Suzette and Abraham, nor did he identify a court, case number, filing date or specific legal claims. He also did not confirm social media reports alleging that he is demanding $48 million or fighting for control of Selena's estate.
Those details remain unverified.
Instead, A.B. portrayed the litigation as one part of a much longer family conflict.
"The lawsuit is part of a process that began a few months ago, but what brought me to this point was not born a few months ago," he wrote. "It comes from years. Years of accumulated situations, decisions and circumstances during which, for a long time, I chose to remain silent out of respect, loyalty and, above all, because it was my own family."
A.B. said the legal process had exposed information that left him "deeply impacted." He did not explain what he discovered or describe the evidence he claims to possess, citing the active litigation.
"There are years of history. There are facts. There is evidence. There are circumstances. And there is much that is still unknown," he said.
A dispute unfolding after Abraham Quintanilla's death
The statement arrives less than nine months after the death of Abraham Quintanilla Jr., the patriarch who created Selena y Los Dinos, managed Selena's career, and spent three decades overseeing projects connected to her music and image.
A.B.'s statement does not explicity characterize the current litigation as a probate case or an inheritance dispute. However, its references to his father, Suzette, and nearly 40 years of work immediately raised questions about the future of Q-Productions and the management of Selena's lucrative legacy.
Suzette currently serves as CEO and president of Q-Productions and has become the public face of numerous Selena projects. Those have included the Selena Museum, merchandise collaborations, Netflix's Selena: The Series and the documentary Selena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy.
The agreement controlling Selena's image
The family's legal and financial structure dates back to the months after Selena's murder in March 1995.
According to a 2018 Texas appellate court opinion, Abraham presented Selena's widower, Chris Pérez, and other family members with an "Estate Properties Agreement" in May 1995.
The document, signed by Pérez, A.B., Suzette, Abraham and matriarch Marcella Quintanilla, purported to give Abraham ownership of entertainment properties including proprietary rights to Selena's name, voice, signature, photograph and likeness.
That agreement became public during Abraham's yearslong lawsuit against Pérez over plans to adapt Pérez's memoir, To Selena, With Love, into a television production. Court records said Pérez agreed to receive 25% of the net profits derived from exploiting those entertainment properties.
Abraham and Pérez amicably resolved that dispute in 2021.
The agreement provides important context for the new family conflict, but there is currently no verified evidence that A.B.'s case seeks to invalidate it, obtain control of Selena's image or challenge the distribution of income. A.B.'s rights as a songwriter and producer are also legally distinct from the rights governing Selena's likeness and commercial life story.
The sharpest line in A.B.'s statement appeared near the end, when he connected the dispute to his decades of creative work.
"I will continue doing what I have done for almost 40 years: working and generating what is mine," he wrote. "I was never one to wait for the check for other people's effort to arrive at my door."
A.B. was Selena's bassist, musical director, producer and one of the principal architects of her sound. He wrote or co-wrote signature recordings including 'Como la Flor,' 'Amor Prohibido,' 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom' and 'El Chico del Apartamento 512.' After Selena's death, he continued his career with Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz.
The reference to money generated by personal work may eventually prove central to the case, but A.B. has not yet said whether the dispute concerns royalties, corporate revenue, accounting, inheritance, intellectual property or another financial arrangement.
He said he would not grant interviews while the litigation remains active, but promised to tell his full version when the time is right.
"I have remained silent for a long time," A.B. wrote. "But my silence does not mean there is no story to tell."
