September 18, 2025 / Press
Jonathan Forster Talks Family Tension as the Murdochs Finally Reach Settlement in Wealth Management Article
Jonathan Forster recently spoke to Wealth Management about the long-awaited settlement of the Murdoch family media empire, after the family announced in September 2025 that a deal had finally been reached. At the heart of this legal battle was Rupert Murdoch’s effort to shift control to his son, Lachlan Murdoch, attempting to amend an irrevocable trust in the process. With three of Murdoch’s other children, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James, opposing the effort and wanting to maintain equal voting rights over political and editorial stances, a complex legal battle ensued.
The newly announced settlement hinges upon Lachlan buying out his siblings, the dissolution of the original family trust, and the creation of a new trust to take its place. The new trust will include Lachlan, who will be in control of voting shares, along with two of his younger siblings, Grace and Chloe, as the three will hold the controlling stake in Fox Corp. and News Corp. As for Prudence, Elisabeth, and James, they will become beneficiaries under new trusts partially funded by the sale of their News Corp Class B common stock shares and Fox Corporation Class B common stock.
Jon shares his thoughts on some key lessons learned throughout the real-life “Succession” style battle, noting, “this saga has been going on for years, likely creating built-up friction and alienation amongst the siblings at the hands of their father that will be hard to move past, with Lachlan’s every move likely to be scrutinized going forward.”
“In family businesses, the greatest sources of consternation are related to management and control, as well as compensation. We would not be surprised if Lachlan’s siblings harbored resentment over those issues,” he continues.
Jon concludes by sharing that this case “highlights the need for transparency and clear plans to avoid deferring conflict and creating tensions that could not only dismantle family relationships but also threaten the business itself.”