A.B. Quintanilla III, brother of the late Tejano star Selena, said on Instagram Tuesday (Sept. 1) that he’s involved in a legal matter concerning his sister, Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga, and circumstances related to their late father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., who died in December. In a subsequent Instagram post Wednesday (Sept. 2), he said Suzette was “notified of a lawsuit” against her. This follow-up post included a heavily redacted screenshot of what appears to be a cease-and-desist letter — distinct from a lawsuit — which mentions Suzette’s “utter disregard for her fiduciary duties to the Estate’s beneficiaries.”
A.B.’s second post appeared to be a response to a statement posted to Suzette’s Instagram earlier in the day, in which both Suzette and their mother, Marcella Quintanilla, said “no court-filed complaint, summons, petition or other legal pleading” has been served, nor could they locate a public case matching his description. In his subsequent post, A.B. wrote, “I don’t lie,” alleging that Suzette and her lawyers had been notified by certified mail and email with “the corresponding documents.” He said Suzette responded but did not provide the “contracts, documentation and financial information” that were requested.
Billboard independently found no publicly available U.S. court filing in searches of Los Angeles, New York, Delaware and federal court records, or in Nueces County, Tex., where the Quintanilla family is based and where Abraham’s probate case was docketed.
According to A.B.’s initial Instagram post, he decided to make the dispute public after receiving “numerous calls and inquiries,” writing, “Yes, there is a lawsuit related to Suzette Arriaga, as well as to facts and circumstances related to my father, Abraham Quintanilla.”
A.B. described the dispute as a process that began months ago but stemmed from “years of accumulated situations, decisions and circumstances” within the family. “There are facts,” he wrote. “There is evidence. There are circumstances. And there is much that is still unknown.” He said he would not give interviews or discuss further details while the process unfolds, but that his lawyer would speak on Friday (Sept. 4), when “many things will be made clear.”
Responding to what they called A.B.’s “insinuations,” Suzette and Marcella wrote that there “was no theft by Suzette,” adding that she “has not stolen, misappropriated, or improperly taken money or property belonging to A.B., Abraham, Marcella, Chris, Selena’s estate, or any family-owned or jointly owned business.” They also said Suzette is “not selling, and has no intention of selling, Selena’s personal belongings.”
While A.B.’s public statements leave the subject of the alleged dispute largely unclear, there have been various legal battles related to Selena’s estate over the years. Notably, in 2016, Abraham sued Selena’s widower, Chris Pérez, over a proposed TV adaptation of Pérez’s memoir To Selena, With Love, claiming it was an “unauthorized exploitation” of Selena’s image. (The parties resolved the case in 2021, according to the Corpus Christi Caller Times and KSAT12.)
Billboard has reached out to representatives for A.B. and Suzette for further comment and clarification.
