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 smiled as he entered the courtroom in Reno, Nevada, with his son, Lachlan, 53, who is his chosen successor.
Murdoch’s three other eldest children were stone-faced as they arrived, 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 their media empire in the case, which is being conducted in private.
Rupert Murdoch appeared confident as he began the second day of his legal battle over the future of his estate
Murdoch arrived at the courthouse on Tuesday in a convoy of three SUVs and walked cautiously up the steps to a side entrance of the courthouse.
The parties were in court for 11 grueling hours on Monday, and the hearing has been extended from five days to seven, meaning it ends next Tuesday.
The extra time was likely due to the complexities of the dispute, which involves $15 billion in assets owned by the Murdoch family estate.
The state controls Murdoch’s empire, including the US television 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, which was agreed in 1999 when Murdoch divorced his second wife, Anna, his four eldest children will each have one vote in deciding matters relating to his empire after his death.
Murdoch currently has the controlling vote and cannot be outvoted.
Murdoch is seeking to modify the terms so that Lachlan has control, as his father does now, rather than an equal share with his siblings.
He is said to be concerned that the other three brothers will push Fox News in a more liberal direction, to the alleged detriment of the business.
Murdoch’s three other eldest children were stone-faced as they arrived, but Elisabeth, 55, (left) managed a brief smile as she walked towards the door ahead of her brother James.
Prudence, 65, and Elizabeth walk down the catwalk into the building.
James, 51, and Prudence arrive at the courthouse with security in tow on Tuesday.
The takeover has already been described as the kind of move straight out of a Succession storyline, which was loosely based on the Murdoch dynasty.
Lachlan has been chairman and CEO of Fox Corporation, which is what remained of the company after Murdoch sold the 21st Century Fox film and television studio to Disney for $71 billion in 2019.
Murdoch arrived at the courthouse on Tuesday in a convoy of three SUVs and carefully climbed the steps to a side entrance of the courthouse.
Lachlan stepped ahead of his father and tried to open a door, which wouldn’t open.
He finally found the right door and held out his hand to allow Murdoch to pass ahead of him.
Prudence, Elisabeth and James arrived in a convoy of five SUVs and walked through the same entrance.
No one responded to requests for comment.
Lachlan stepped ahead of his father and tried to open a door, which wouldn’t open.
Lachlan finally found the right door and held out his hand to allow Murdoch to pass ahead of him.
Murdoch wore comfortable sneakers to the hearing, unlike his sons’ dress shoes.
Lachlan entered the building behind his father.
On Monday, the first day of the hearing, Murdoch slipped away at lunchtime while the children held out until 7 p.m. during a grueling 11-hour day.
Although documents in the case have not been made public, the file shows that more than 500 have been filed since October and that nearly 80 lawyers were working on the case.
Also in court was former Attorney General Bill Barr, who is working with Murdoch to rewrite the trust.
The dispute is already prompting a re-calculation at Fox News, with CNN reporting that the network’s hosts were discussing how to curry favor with James, should he take over.
Fox’s media correspondent Brian Stelter reported: ‘Fox’s top hosts spoke openly about how they might reposition their own personal brands in the event of a James-led takeover.
The parties were in court for 11 grueling hours on Monday, and the hearing has been extended from five days to seven, meaning it ends next Tuesday.
Prudence, 65 (left), James, 51 (centre) and Elizabeth, 55 (right) confront Lachlan and his father for control of their media empire in the case, which is being conducted in private.
Murdoch leaves the hearing hours later through a back door at the 75th Judicial Courthouse in Reno, Nevada, on Tuesday.
‘Some Fox personalities even tried to establish unofficial relationships with James, despite Lachlan being the boss.’
The case is being heard in Reno because of its favorable probate laws that ensure privacy.
In Murdoch’s case, that means that documents that have been filed since last October are classified as confidential and therefore not public.
Probate Commissioner Edmund Gorman said the public’s interests did not outweigh the fact that the case was a private matter.
Only after a torrent of media inquiries did the court publish any information on its website, and even then the parties were referred to as “Doe” rather than by their names.
Murdoch is not mentioned by name, instead the subject line 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 takeover has already been described as the kind of move straight out of a story from Succession, a TV show loosely based on the Murdoch dynasty.
Several American media outlets, including CNN and the New York Times, attempted to access the hearings, but their request was denied by a judge.
A local nonprofit, Our Nevada Judges, which advocates for greater access to Nevada courts, also joined the efforts.
“The public has a right to know what is going on inside the court,” said its founder, Alex Falconi.
‘This case involves Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. It obviously deserves public scrutiny.’
The court’s only concession was to make public the names of lawyers and other non-parties.
