NEWS'Facing My Mortality': Rupert Murdoch's Bitter Family Feud Revealed in Court Documents for the First Time After $3.3 Billion Nevada Trial
Newly released files have fully exposed the bitter reality of the Murdoch family trust war in a real-life 'Succession' story.
Aug. 24 2026, Updated 1:33 p.m. ET
The newly unsealed 96-page Nevada court judgment and thousands of trial files have fully exposed the bitter reality of the Murdoch family trust war in what is indeed a real-life Succession story.
In the court documents obtained by The Australian Financial Review, media mogul Rupert Murdoch admitted he was "facing my mortality" as his motivation for attempting to rewrite the irrevocable Murdoch Family Trust (MFT) to block his more politically moderate children — James, Elisabeth, and Prudence — from altering the conservative direction of Fox News and News Corp after his death.
Rupert officially named his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, as the sole successor and head of his $40 billion conservative media empire, following a highly publicized legal battle over the family trust.
“One of the things that you consider to be part of your legacy is that control of Fox, control of News remain in your family after your death, right?” Gary Bornstein, the opposing Murdoch children’s lawyer, asked Rupert.
Rupert Murdoch said he wanted Fox News to remain under his family's supervision.
“Yes,” Rupert replied.
“And you think it would be a disaster for the country if Fox News fell into the wrong hands, correct?” Gary asked.
“Yes,” Rupert said.
The documents expose a coordinated plan, codenamed "Project Family Harmony," orchestrated by Lachlan and his close adviser, Siobhan McKenna.
Nevada Probate Commissioner Edmund Gorman Jr. concluded this was actually a "carefully crafted charade" meant to "stack the deck" in Lachlan's favor.
Rupert Murdoch named son Lachlan as the sole successor to his media empire.
Rupert and Lachlan acted in "bad faith" toward the other siblings, declaring the proposed trust change breached fiduciary duties.
The unsealed files reveal decades of deep family rifts.
During his testimony, James Murdoch was reportedly moved to tears on the stand, describing a sense of betrayal over a past Disney deal that ultimately fractured his relationship with his Lachlan.
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Lachlan Murdoch Made a Deal With His Siblings
Lachlan Murdoch bought out his siblings for over $1 billion each.
Notes from the unsealed tranche show that Rupert and Lachlan secretly believed longtime News Corp CEO Robert Thomson "lacked vision" and plotted a corporate recombining of Fox and News Corp in 2022 to "elegantly exit" him from the business.
Though the court formally denied Rupert's bid to change the trust terms unilaterally, the legal defeat ultimately forced a massive financial settlement in September 2025.
To permanently secure his control and protect his father's conservative media legacy, Lachlan bought out his three siblings. James, Elisabeth, and Prudence each agreed to accept $1.1 billion (a combined $3.3 billion) to permanently exit the trust and relinquish their voting stakes, leaving Lachlan as the sole decision-maker.
'I'd Better Do Something'
Rupert Murdoch admitted the feud made him think of his mortality.
Rupert is frequently criticized by journalists and historians for profoundly damaging modern democracy. Critics argue his outlets — such as Fox News, The Sun, and The Wall Street Journal — accelerated political polarization, promoted climate change denial, and normalized post-truth politics across the globe.
The family dust-up did more than make Rupert worry about his media legacy.
“I guess it sort of made me – well, I had to face my mortality,” he said. “Made me, yes, realize that I’m 93; I’d better do something.”
