Rupert Murdoch is facing a fierce family battle as three of the 93-year-old media mogul's children try to resist his efforts to amend a family trust to leave eldest son Lachlan Murdoch in charge of the family after his death, according to an investigative report published by The New York Times on Wednesday.
The Times’s report is based in part on a 48-page ruling by the Nevada probate commissioner, which was filed under wraps but obtained by the newspaper. Three of Rupert Murdoch’s four adult children — Prudence, Elizabeth and James — are fighting their father’s efforts to amend the will. The battle has so far been fought in secret, but now it will be under close scrutiny as the probate commissioner considers petitions filed by Murdoch’s three younger children.
According to the New York Times, Rupert Murdoch is motivated by his desire to ensure that Fox News, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, and other media assets under the Fox Corp. and News Corp. banners maintain the politically conservative views they now offer viewers and readers.
The New York Times reported that Murdoch Sr. “claims in court that only by allowing Lachlan to run the company without interference from his more politically moderate brothers can he maintain its conservative editorial line, thereby protecting its commercial value for all his heirs.”
The conflict began late last year when Rupert Murdoch sought support from his children for the amendment. The Times reported that the unnamed probate commissioner “found that Mr Murdoch could amend the will if he could prove that he was acting in good faith and solely for the benefit of his heirs.”
Representatives for Rupert Murdoch and Fox could not immediately be reached for comment.
Currently, the Murdoch Foundation grants all four of the eldest children equal rights after their father’s death. Rupert Murdoch has two daughters, Chloe and Grace, with his third wife, Wendi Deng. The two younger children receive a share of the trust but do not have the same voting rights as the other four children. The terms of the trust relating to Chloe and Grace were set before the Deng and Murdoch marriage was dissolved in late 2013.
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