Father Of Late Tejano Superstar Selena Blocks Television Series About Her

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Mere weeks after a film company announced plans to develop a television series depicting the love story between the late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla and her husband, the singer's father has blocked production via a lawsuit, according to a published report.

Endemol Shine North America recently announced it would develop the series detailing the relationship between the singer and her husband, Chris Perez. But on Friday, the late singer's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., filed a suit in a Texas court against Endemol and Perez to stop production of the series. The suit alleges that the only ones authorized to use the singer's name, image and creative works is the singer's estate.

As reported by Forbes, Endemol previously signed a deal with Perez to adapt his best-selling 2012 book To Selena With Love detailing the couple's romance. Perez was married to the star from 1992 until she was murdered in 1995 at the age of 23.

The suit contends Perez is in violation of an Estate Properties Agreement he signed two months after the singer's death in 1995. That agreement stipulates that Quintanilla, Jr. is the exclusive rights holder of all “Entertainment Properties,” which includes contract, trademark and copyright rights, rights to income, rights of publicity, rights to name, voice, signature, and photographs, among other rights, “throughout the world in perpetuity without restriction.”

The suit further contends that Perez accepted the terms of the Estate Properties Agreement and in doing so, “agreed to receive, among other things, twenty-five percent (25%) of the net profits derived from the exploitation of the Entertainment Properties.”

The plaintiff notes Perez's book upon which the television series was to be based was itself a violation of prior terms, and thus considered "unauthorized" in nature.

“The petition states Mr. Perez violated the Entertainment Properties agreement. He doesn't have the rights to publish a book or produce a television series based in any part on Selena,” Quintanilla estate attorney Simran A. Singh said, as quoted in the Forbes piece. “Among other things, we are seeking a judicial declaration that the defendants have no right to exploit the series and stop production.”

>>> Read the full story at Forbes

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