Details of the Murdoch family succession feud may soon be unsealed if Smartmatic, a voting machine company that is suing Fox News, is successful in its bid to use the secret court documents as evidence.
Smartmatic has asked the commissioner of Nevada’s probate court for access to certain documents pertaining to the secretive succession struggle, according to CNN.
The company may want to use the contents of the sealed documents to strengthen its defamation case against Fox, a source told CNN. Documents that could be revealed include deposition transcripts and trial testimony from Rupert Murdoch and other family members.
The defamation lawsuit kicked off after current President-elect Donald J. Trump lost the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The channel broadcast false accusations against Smartmatic, claiming that the results were fixed in Democrats’ favor. The company is now suing Fox News and Fox Corporation, with Fox denying defamation.
A Reno court has seen a different side of the media empire. The Murdoch family has been engaged in a secretive battle to establish who will lead the massive company after 93-year-old Murdoch ends his reign.
Earlier this month, Rupert Murdoch failed to amend his trust in favor of his eldest son, Lachlan. His reasoning was that Lachlan would protect conservative values—as well as profits. His three other children—James, Elisabeth and Prudence—released a statement saying that they “welcomed” the decision in early December and hoped that the family “can move beyond this litigation to focus on strengthening and rebuilding relationships among all family members.”
