Nevada court exposes Murdoch family trust fight and Siobhan McKenna’s pivotal role
Newly unsealed Nevada court documents reveal Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s failed bid to rewrite the family trust, highlighting Siobhan McKenna’s central involvement.
In a Reno courtroom in 2024, Rupert Murdoch attempted to amend his “irrevocable” family trust to concentrate future control of Fox Corporation and News Corporation in the hands of his eldest son, Lachlan. Probate commissioner Edmund Gorman’s newly unsealed 96-page report describes the effort as a “carefully crafted charade” undertaken in bad faith toward the other children—James, Elisabeth and Prudence. The filing credits Australia Post chair Siobhan McKenna, then Lachlan’s close adviser, with originating and driving “Project Family Harmony,” arranging meetings, drafting agendas and vetting candidates.
The Nevada court denied the amendment, and a 2025 agreement later granted Lachlan control while giving each sibling over $1 billion. The judgment also reveals unfounded suspicions about James Murdoch leaking information and underscores a decades-long rift within the family. Appeals by major media outlets to unseal the proceedings were rejected, but an appeal by Our Nevada Judges succeeded, releasing the commissioner’s findings.
Why it matters
The case shows how internal power struggles can shape the future of a global media conglomerate.
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