Chris Perez and Selena’s Family Amicably Resolve Yearslong Legal Battle
The love story of Chris Perez and Selena Quintanilla Perez lives on decades after the Queen of Tejano’s death but his relationship with her family has been contentious for years until now
Photo: Instagram/@chrispereznow
The love story of Chris Perez and Selena Quintanilla Perez lives on decades after the Queen of Tejano’s death but his relationship with her family has been contentious for years until now. Earlier this week Perez announced on his social media accounts that after more than five of battling with the Quintanillas about whether he could adapt his memoir into a TV series they’ve come to an agreement. The book, To Selena with Love, was released in 2012 and was set to be adapted into a series of the same name but Abraham Quintanilla Jr. argued it violated an estate properties agreement they signed in May 1995 following her death.
“Good news! I wanted to give everyone an update to let you know that I have amicably resolved my legal dispute with Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. and the entire Quintanilla family,” Perez wrote. “Now that these issues are behind us, going forward, my hope, and the hope of the Quintanilla family, is for us to work together to continue to honor and celebrate the legacy of Selena.”
Good news! I have amicably resolved my legal dispute with the Quintanilla family. Now that these issues are behind us, going forward, my hope, and the hope of the Quintanilla family, is for us to work together to continue to honor and celebrate the legacy of Selena.
— Chris Perez (@ChrisPerezNow) September 14, 2021
Online court records indicate Quintanilla, Jr., and Perez filed a joint motion to dismiss the lawsuit in the 148th District Court on Sept. 8 of this year. The lawsuit was originally filed against Perez, production company Endemol Latino and Perez’s record label Blue Mariachi in December 2016 and Perez countersued the following year.. Per the 1995 agreement, Quintanilla, Jr. owns entertainment properties that include Selena’s name, voice, signature, photograph and likeness. Back in 2019 Perez said that he signed the agreement “in a moment of duress” — Selena was killed in March 1995 — which would make the agreement void, reported The Chronicle.
Her fans have long praised Perez for his love and support for Selena’s legacy through the years, and he previously shared that’s always been his intention. “I don’t want people talking about her family. I might feel a certain way about it, but what would Selena want?” he told The Chronicle. “I’m not the one wanting to fight. I’m not the one being bullied. I want to keep everything together for her.”
This agreement comes after the release of Selena: The Series on Netflix in 2020 which was produced by the Quintanillas, Perez shared at the time that he was not involved. It’s has been more than 25 years since her death and she continues to be recognized for her immense talent and music, most recently with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys. The Netflix series was the only time, besides the 1997 biopic Selena, that the family was involved in a production about her life. Now that they’ve amicably settled their legal battle, we may finally be able to see their love story from Perez’s perspective come to life. While he often doesn’t talk about their story outside of social media, he did speak with journalist Maria Garcia about their relationship for her podcast, Anything for Selena.
Following Perez’s announcement, Quintanilla Jr. released his own statement echoing the same sentiment about continuing to honor Selena. “I wanted to give everyone an update to let you know that I and the entire Quintanilla family have amicably resolved our legal dispute with Christopher Perez. Now that these issues are behind us, going forward, my hope, and the hope of the Quintanilla family, is for us to work together to continue to honor and celebrate the legacy of Selena.”
