Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is all smiles as he enters court with his heir apparent Lachlan on second day of battle over News Corp empire
Rupert Murdoch smiled and looked confident as he headed into the second day of the legal battle over the future of his estate.
The 93-year-old media mogul grinned as he walked into the courthouse in Reno, Nevada, with his son Lachlan, 53, who is his chosen successor.
Murdoch’s other three eldest children looked grim on arrival, but Elisabeth, 55, managed a brief smile.
She and her siblings Prudence, 65, and James, 51, are battling Lachlan and their father for control of his media empire in the case, which is being kept secret.
Rupert Murdoch looked confident heading into the second day of the legal battle over the future of his estate
Murdoch arrived at the courthouse Tuesday in a convoy of three SUVs and walked carefully up the steps to a side entrance of the courthouse
James Murdoch goes for iced coffee to keep his caffeine levels up as he takes on his father for control of the media empire
The parties were in court for 11 hours on Monday. The hearing has been extended from five to seven days. This means that the hearing will end next Tuesday.
The extra time was likely due to the complexity of the dispute, which concerns the Murdoch family’s $15 billion in assets.
The state controls Murdoch’s empire, which includes the US TV network Fox News and News Corp, the parent company of the Times, Sun, New York Post and Wall Street Journal newspapers.
Under the terms of the controlling trust fund, agreed in 1999 when Murdoch divorced his second wife Anna, his four eldest children each have one vote in deciding matters relating to his empire after his death.
Murdoch currently has the casting vote and cannot be outvoted.
Murdoch wants to change the terms so that Lachlan, like his father, has a say, rather than splitting the business equally with his siblings.
He was said to be concerned that the three other siblings would push Fox News in a more liberal direction, to the detriment of the company.
Murdoch’s other three eldest children looked brave on arrival, but Elisabeth, 55, (left) managed a smile as she walked ahead of her brother James to the door
Prudence, 65, and Elizabeth walk across the gangplank to enter the building
James, 51, and Prudence arrive at the courthouse with security on Tuesday
The parties were in court for a whopping 11 hours on Monday and the hearing has been extended from five to seven days, meaning it will end next Tuesday.
Prudence, 65, (left), James, 51, (centre) and Elizabeth, 55, (right) are facing off against Lachlan and their father for control of his media empire in the case, which is being heard in private.
The power grab has previously been described as a move reminiscent of a storyline in Succession, which was loosely based on the Murdoch dynasty.
Lachlan was chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation, the company left after Murdoch sold the film and television studio 21st Century Fox to Disney for $71 billion in 2019.
Murdoch arrived at the courthouse on Tuesday in a convoy of three SUVs and cautiously walked up the steps to a side entrance of the courthouse.
Lachlan walked ahead of his father and tried to open a door, but it wouldn’t open.
Finally he found the right door and held out his hand to let Murdoch through.
Prudence, Elisabeth and James arrived in a convoy of five SUVs and walked up through the same entrance.
No one responded to requests for comment.
Lachlan walked ahead of his father and tried to open a door, but it wouldn’t open.
Lachlan eventually found the right door and extended his hand to let Murdoch pass ahead of him
Murdoch wore comfortable sneakers to the hearing, unlike his sons’ dress shoes
Lachlan entered the building following his father
On Monday, the first day of the hearing, Murdoch skipped school for lunch, while the children held out until 7pm for a gruelling 11-hour day.
Although no documents in the case have been made public, the diary shows that more than 500 cases have been filed since October and nearly 80 attorneys have worked on the case.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr was also present at the hearing. He is working with Murdoch to rewrite the trust.
The disagreement has already prompted a rethink at Fox News, with CNN reporting that the network’s hosts were discussing how to win James’ favor if he were to take over.
Brian Stelter, media correspondent for the American TV network, reported: ‘Top Fox hosts spoke openly about how they might reposition their own personal brands in the event of a takeover by James.
Murdoch grabs the railing for support as he leaves the hearing, with former US Attorney General Bill Barr, who is acting as one of his lawyers, standing before him.
Murdoch leaves the hearing hours later through the back door of the 75th Judiciary Courthouse in Reno, Nevada, on Tuesday
Murdoch holds onto the railing for support as he leaves the field on Tuesday afternoon
‘Some Fox personalities even tried to have a secret relationship with James, even though Lachlan was the boss.’
The case is being played in Reno because of its favorable inheritance laws that guarantee privacy.
In Murdoch’s case, this means that the documents filed since October last year are secret and therefore not public.
Probate Commissioner Edmund Gorman said the interests of the public did not outweigh the fact that the case was a private matter.
Only after a flood of media inquiries did the court post information on its website. And even then, the parties were referred to as “Doe” rather than by name.
No name is mentioned for Murdoch, instead the case is listed as ‘PR23-00813 – **SEALED** TRUST: THE DOE 1 TRUST’
Pictured from left to right: James Murdoch, Elisabeth Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch
The power grab has already been described as the kind of move that resembles a storyline from Succession, a TV series loosely based on the Murdoch dynasty.
Several US media outlets, including CNN and the New York Times, tried to gain access to the hearings, but their requests were rejected by a judge.
A local nonprofit, Our Nevada Judges, which works to improve access to Nevada’s courts, also joined the effort.
βThe public has a right to know what goes on inside the court,β said founder Alex Falconi.
“This case involved Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. It is clearly worth investigating publicly.”
The only concession the court made was that the names of attorneys and other non-parties would be made public.