CARSON CITY, Nevada (AP) — A hearing Wednesday before Nevada’s high court could provide the first public window into a secret legal dispute over who controls Rupert Murdoch’s powerful media empire after he died.
The case unfolds in a closed room in a state courthouse in Reno, with most documents sealed. However, according to The New York Times, which said he had obtained some documents, he was responsible for one of his sons, Lachlan, and revealed Murdoch’s efforts to ensure Fox News maintains a conservative editorial sloping.
Media, including the Times and the Associated Press, are now asking the Nevada Supreme Court to seal the case and make future hearings public. The court will hear debate in the afternoon in the capital Carson City.
Murdoch’s Media Empire, which also includes the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, helped shape modern American politics across the continent. Lachlan Murdoch has been head of Fox News and News Corp. since his father resigned in 2023.
The issue at the heart of the case is the trust of Rupert Murdoch’s family, splitting the control of the company equally between his four children, Lachlan, Prudence, Elizabeth and James, after his death.
An irrevocable trust is usually used to limit real estate taxes, among other reasons, and cannot be changed without permission from the beneficiary or via a court order.
However, Rupert Murdoch tried to change his trust, and Prudence, Elizabeth and James united together to stop it. James and Elizabeth are known to have less conservative political views than their fathers and siblings, which could complicate the media mogul’s desire to maintain the political tone of Fox News.
The dispute had many twists, including a probate committee member who ruled against Rupert Murdoch in December.
In the opinion on page 96, the commissioner characterized the plan as a “carefully created charade” and “permanently strengthens the role of Lachlammurdoch executives” regardless of “the impact of such controls on the corporation or beneficiary.”
Rupert Murdoch’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, told the newspaper at the time that he was disappointed with the ruling and was planning to appeal. Another evidence hearing is scheduled this month.
Original issue: May 7, 2025, 12:12pm EDT
