Family members of late, famed ranchero singer Vicente Fernández are mired in a bruising legal battle with Mexico’s leading broadcaster over a television series that frequently paints the iconic entertainer in a less than positive light.

“El Último Rey: El Hijo del Pueblo” (The Last King: The Son of the People) is a co-production by Televisa and Univision based on the unauthorized biography of Fernández by Argentine writer Olga Wornat.

Wornat’s book makes revelations about the beginnings of Fernandez’s career, his rise to fame, machismo, love affairs, the treatment of his wife, the kidnapping of his son, his adopted daughter, alleged drug trafficking links and the creation of the “Fernández dynasty.”

Fernández’s widow, Refugio Abarca “Doña Cuquita,” and other family members have so far failed in their lawsuit to halt the transmission of the series, after judges dismissed their argument that the name “Vicente Fernández” is a registered trademark with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI). The 12-part series debuted on Televisa’s popular “Canal de las Estrellas” on March 14.

Wornat has staunchly defended the veracity of her work in the face of substantial criticism from fans of Fernández, pointing out that she has published 11 books over a 35-year career.

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