• D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG
  • D.C.
  • BXL
  • Lagos
Semafor Logo
  • Riyadh
  • Beijing
  • SG


Court battle for Murdoch’s media empire begins

Sep 16, 2024, 9:49am EDT
North America
Peter Nicholls/Reuters
PostEmailWhatsapp
Title icon

The News

Rupert Murdoch’s court battle to decide how his sprawling news empire will be divided among his children after he dies gets underway in a Nevada court Monday. Much of the court’s proceedings were set to be conducted behind closed doors.

Murdoch reportedly wanted to change the terms of a 1999 Murdoch Family Trust agreement so that one son, Lachlan Murdoch, can take full control of his businesses. Murdoch’s media brands include The Wall Street Journal, The Sun, Fox News, and multiple Australian outlets. Three of his other children — James, Elisabeth, and Prudence Murdoch — have contested the move.

Lachlan Murdoch is ”aligned with his father’s right-wing views," Sky News wrote, and the senior Murdoch has argued that Lachlan’s three siblings could change the conservative tone of key properties, like Fox News, or create leadership problems, harming the value of the businesses.

AD