Rupert Murdoch Seeks to Hand Empire to Son Lachlan, Prompting Challenge From Other Children

The Facts

• Conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch is engaged in a legal battle with three of his children over who will control his media empire after his death, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

• The 93-year-old patriarch of the Murdoch family – which controls Fox, News Corp, and many other news outlets – is looking to amend an irrevocable family trust to give full control of voting powers and decision-making to his son Lachlan.

• With an estimated value of $19.5B, the Murdoch empire is controlled by a trust that is equally shared by Rupert’s four eldest children – Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence. However, their father wants to give total control to Lachlan in order to preserve a right-leaning editorial stance.