Succession: Murdoch fights family
July 25, 2024
Rupert Murdoch is said to be in a secret legal battle pitting him and his heir apparent, Lachlan, against three of his other children, according to The New York Times.
Rupert Murdoch, 93, is wants to secure Lachlan’s control of the remaining New Corp empire by changing the terms of a family trust that would have also given younger brother James, sister Elisabeth and half-sister Prudence a say in how the company is run.
The current trust would hand control of the group to his four eldest children when he dies. But according to sealed court documents obtained by The New York Times, Murdoch is arguing that Lachlan should have sole control of the family’s investments in Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Australian and other assets, including The Sun and The Times in the UK.
Lachlan is seen as the most conservative of Murdoch’s children and his father is arguing that his political beliefs are essential to maintaining the value of the right-leaning media company. Unless a resolution is reached, the fight for the future of Fox could go to court in September, just two months before the US election.
James Murdoch was once seen as the likely successor but has become a vocal critic of the Fox News. After the January 6th 2021 insurrection, he criticised the US media for “propagating lies”.