The real-life “succession” battle over Rupert Murdoch's media empire has ended, with a Nevada court commissioner rejecting the billionaire's attempt to change the family trust and give control to his eldest son.
The case pitted the 93-year-old against three of his children over who would gain the power to control News Corp and Fox News upon his death.
Murdoch reportedly wanted to amend a family trust set up in 1999 to allow his son Lachlan to take over without “interference” from his siblings Prudence, Elizabeth and James.
A Nevada state commissioner said Murdoch and Lachlan acted in “bad faith” and called the effort a “carefully crafted charade.” According to the New York Times.
In a statement, Prudence spokesperson Elizabeth and James said: “We welcome Commissioner Gorman’s decision and hope we can move beyond this lawsuit to focus on strengthening and rebuilding relationships between all family members.”
Murdoch's lawyer, Adam Streisand, told the New York Times they were disappointed and planned to appeal.
The BBC has contacted Mr Streisand for comment.
The famous family was one of the inspirations behind the hugely popular TV series Succession – something the Murdochs have always refused to comment on.
But according to the New York Times report, which was based on a copy of the sealed court ruling, the billionaire's children began discussing their father's death and how to deal with it after an episode of the HBO series in which a “billionaire patriarch” dies, leaving his family and business in disarray.
The incident reportedly led to Elizabeth's representative to the Trust writing a “succession memorandum” that sought to prevent this from happening in real life.
Murdoch, who has been married five times, also has two younger children, Grace and Chloe, who have no voting rights under the trust agreement.
The Times reported that the case began after Murdoch decided to change the trust over concerns about “incompatibility” between the children.
Lashaan is believed to be more conservative than his brothers and will maintain the legacy of his media brands.
Since the 1960s, Murdoch has built his media empire into a global media giant with significant political and public influence.
His two companies are News Corporation, which owns newspapers including The Times and The Sun in the UK, and The Wall Street Journal in the US, and Fox, which broadcasts Fox News.
Mr Murdoch had been grooming his two sons to follow in his footsteps, starting when they were teenagers, journalist Andrew Neil told the 2020 BBC documentary The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty.
The former Sunday Times editor said: “Family was always very important to Rupert Murdoch, especially from the point of view of creating a dynasty.”
In 1999, the Murdoch family foundation, which owns the media companies, was supposed to largely settle succession plans.
This led to Murdoch giving his eldest sons various jobs within his companies.
The foundation gives the family eight votes, which it can use to have a say on the boards of News Corp and Fox News.
Murdoch currently controls four of those votes, with his eldest son responsible for one vote each.
The trust agreement stipulates that once Murdoch dies, his votes will pass equally to his four eldest children.
However, differences in opinions and political views were said to lead to family discord.
The battle over changes in trust was not about money, but about power and control over the future of the Marduk empire.
The Commissioner's decision is not final, The Times reported. Court filing is a recommended decision but the district judge will still have his or her say and can choose to rule differently.
Additional reporting by Michele Fleury and Charlotte Edwards
