Lachlan Murdoch Secures Control of Family Empire, Echoing HBO’s Succession

Lead Lachlan Murdoch has clinched definitive control of Fox Corporation and News Corp, ending a bitter trust battle with his siblings after Rupert Murdoch’s bid to reshape the family trust failed, just days after a Nevada court rejected the elder Murdoch’s trust amendments.

Nut Graf The agreement preserves the conservative media empire’s current leadership and seals Lachlan’s role as sole voting stakeholder for the next 25 years. It brings an abrupt close to litigation that threatened the Murdoch legacy and mirrors the power struggles dramatized in HBO’s hit series Succession.

Main Part

Legal showdown and settlement

  • Nevada’s probate commissioner ruled in December that Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to restructure the family trust amounted to “bad faith” and sought to entrench Lachlan’s position before the patriarch’s eventual passing.
  • Under the settlement announced Monday, Rupert, 94, and Lachlan, 54, will establish a new trust-expiring in 2050-controlling both Fox Corporation and News Corp. Lachlan will hold sole voting power.

Financial terms and sibling fallout

  • Rupert’s three other eldest children-Prudence, Elisabeth and James-will divest their holdings in both companies over six months, each netting an estimated $1.1 billion.
  • A separate trust will benefit Rupert’s two younger daughters, Grace and Chloe, whom neither the previous litigation nor the new trust impacts.

Corporate and cultural impact

  • Fox Corporation, encompassing Fox News Media, Fox Entertainment and Fox Sports, remains committed to “leadership, vision and management” under Lachlan’s stewardship, according to a board statement.
  • The resolution averts a generational rift and underscores the family’s intent to safeguard the empire’s conservative editorial stance, a core Murdoch priority.

Industry reaction and legacy

  • Media analysts note the deal’s alignment with the fictional Roy family saga-loyalty, betrayal and boardroom warfare-spotlighting real-life parallels to Succession’s portrayal of dynastic ambition.
  • Rupert Murdoch retains the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus but relinquishes decision-making power to Lachlan, marking the end of one of corporate America’s most protracted succession dramas.