Over the next few weeks, the future course of one of the most powerful media empires on the planet will depend on secret proceedings set to take place inside a domed, Beaux-Arts-style courthouse in downtown Reno, Nev.
It was Mr. Gorman who several weeks ago agreed to hear evidence in a fight between Mr. Murdoch, 93, and three of his adult children that is not about financial benefits but about control over his media companies after he dies.
His businesses include Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The Sun of London and a large collection of newspapers in Australia.
And next week, barring an unexpected last-minute settlement, it is Mr. Gorman who, after five days of testimony from Mr. Murdoch and his four eldest children in his hearing room, will recommend whether Mr. Murdoch should be granted his wish: to guarantee that his elder son, Lachlan, gains full control over the media dynasty after he dies.
That can happen only if Mr. Gorman allows Mr. Murdoch to change the terms of the “irrevocable” family trust he agreed to some two decades ago.
Set in stone after his divorce from his second wife, Anna Murdoch Mann, the trust gives Lachlan and his three oldest siblings equal say over the controlling shares of the family’s companies upon Mr. Murdoch’s death.
The final decision in the case will have wide-ranging effects in media and politics, determining whether Fox News and the Murdochs’ other populist conservative clarions stay on their hard-right course, as Lachlan Murdoch prefers, or move toward the more centrist sensibilities of the three siblings, James, Elisabeth and Prudence, who Mr. Murdoch fears will outvote Lachlan upon his passing.
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Secret proceedings scheduled to take place inside a domed, Beaux-Arts-style courthouse in downtown Reno, Nevada, over the next few weeks will determine the future path of one of the world’s most powerful media empires.
K, who did not build that empire, will not be the most powerful person in that room. Edmund J. Murdoch is a polite county probate commissioner, not the ruthless global leader Rupert Murdoch. Gorman Jr. who, in his high-desert city, goes about his work largely unsung.
Mr. Murdoch, ninety-three, and three of his adult children are engaged in a legal battle over control of his media companies after his death. It was Mr. Gorman who agreed to hear evidence in the case a few weeks ago. The dispute is not about financial gain. His companies are associated with Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The Sun of London, and an extensive assortment of Australian newspapers.
And next week, barring an unforeseen last-minute settlement, Mr. Gorman will make the recommendation regarding whether Mr. Murdoch should be granted his wish, which is to ensure that his eldest son, Lachlan, inherits complete control over the media dynasty upon his death, following five days of testimony from Mr. Murdoch and his four eldest children in his hearing room.
That is contingent upon Mr. Gorman granting Mr. Murdoch permission to modify the conditions of the “irrevocable” family trust he entered into approximately twenty years prior. Established subsequent to his split from his second spouse, Anna Murdoch Mann, the trust grants Lachlan and his three eldest siblings equal authority over the majority stakes in the family businesses in the event of Mr. Murdoch’s passing.
The outcome of this case will have a significant impact on politics and the media. It will determine whether Fox News and the other populist conservative clarions owned by the Murdochs continue on their hard-right path, which Lachlan Murdoch prefers, or if they shift toward the more centrist views of James, Elisabeth, and Prudence, whom Mr. Murdoch fears will outnumber Lachlan in the event of Lachlan’s death.
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