Selena’s family is fractured. A.B. Quintanilla III has filed a lawsuit against his sister, Suzette Quintanilla, claiming she has refused to pay him more than $1 million owed from their late sister’s estate and business ventures.
According to court documents obtained, A.B. says he entered into an agreement with Suzette, their mother Marcella Quintanilla, and Selena’s husband Chris Pérez following Selena’s death in 1995. That agreement, he claims, entitles him to a portion of net profits generated from Selena’s entertainment properties.
A.B. alleges the trouble began after Suzette became CEO of Q Productions and took functional control over Selena’s business affairs. He claims she has refused to pay him the money he believes he is contractually owed.
In the lawsuit, A.B. insists he “is a party to and intended beneficiary of the Agreement” and that he is “entitled under the Agreement to receive his contractual share of net profits derived from the Entertainment Properties”.
He is now asking the court for the money plus a full accounting to determine exactly how much he is entitled to receive.
Suzette has denied all allegations. In a statement released with their mother Marcella, she said she “has not received any lawsuit filed in court, summons, petition, or any other legal document related to the accusations that A.B. describes”.
The statement continued: “Suzette did not commit any theft. She has not stolen, embezzled, or improperly taken money or property belonging to A.B., Abraham, Marcella, Chris, Selena’s estate, or any family or jointly owned company”.
Suzette also denied claims that she is selling Selena’s personal belongings, calling any potential sale of a stake in a company “a completely different matter”.
A.B. pushed back on her denial, saying Suzette and her attorneys were notified by certified mail and email. “I don’t lie,” he said. The dispute marks a dramatic rupture for a family that had long presented a united front in protecting Selena’s legacy.
