Reno, Nevada: A U.S. probate commissioner has denied Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to amend his family trust to ensure control of his global media empire passes solely to his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch.
Nevada Commissioner Edmund Gorman ruled that Murdoch and Lachlan acted in “bad faith” in their efforts, describing the plan as a “carefully crafted charade” to secure Lachlan’s executive roles regardless of the impact on other beneficiaries.
The trust, formed in 1999 during Murdoch’s divorce from his second wife, Anna, currently divides control of the family’s 40% voting stakes in Fox Corp and News Corp equally among Murdoch’s four eldest children—Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence—after his death.
Murdoch, 93, retired last year and sought to consolidate Lachlan’s leadership, sidelining his siblings, who are more politically moderate. Lachlan currently runs Fox and serves as sole chair of News Corp, aligning closely with his father’s conservative ideology. James Murdoch, in contrast, resigned from the News Corp board in 2020, citing editorial disagreements and supporting progressive causes.
The ruling comes as the Murdoch media empire, including Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, prepares for a pivotal role in U.S. politics with President-elect Donald Trump returning to office in January.
Despite a costly $800 million defamation lawsuit last year, Fox News continues to wield significant influence, bolstered by Rupert Murdoch’s renewed support for Trump during the recent election campaign.
Murdoch’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, expressed disappointment with the ruling and confirmed plans to appeal. The succession battle, ongoing for three months in a Reno, Nevada, courtroom, highlights the complexities of preserving control within one of the world’s most powerful media dynasties.
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