A Nevada probate commissioner has spoken out against Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to change his sacrosanct family trust and give his eldest son Lachlan Murdoch control of his media empire in an effort to preserve Fox News’ conservative slant.
According to a sealed document obtained by The New York Times, Murdoch’s family trust gives each of his four children equal control of the company after his death — which concerned Murdoch, as two of his children are known to hold less conservative views.
Murdoch, 93, and Lachlan sought to change the trust by consolidating Lachlan’s leadership of the company. Fox News and News Corp have been led by Lachlan since his father resigned last year.
Murdoch invoked a provision that allowed him to make changes to the trust if it was in the best interests of the beneficiaries, arguing that there could be financial consequences if Fox News moved away from conservatism.
Murdoch and Lachlan only informed the other Murdoch children – James, Elisabeth and Prudence – of the proposal just days before the trust’s representatives were due to vote.
Edmund J. Gorman Jr., the commissioner who spoke out against the change, wrote in his 96-page op-ed that Murdoch “displayed a dishonesty of purpose and motive.”
“The attempt was an attempt to stack the deck in Lachlan Murdoch’s favor following the death of Rupert Murdoch so that his succession would be unchangeable,” wrote Gorman, calling Murdoch’s actions a “carefully crafted charade.”
A lawyer for Murdoch told The New York Times that Murdoch and Lachlan were disappointed with the ruling and planned to appeal. A spokesperson for James, Elisabeth and Prudence told The Associated Press that they welcome the ruling and hope their family can “move beyond this lawsuit and focus on strengthening and rebuilding relationships among all family members.”
