Murdoch Lawyer Confirms Mogul’s Marriage Is Over

Mogul Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Anna, have dissolved their marriage in one of the nation’s most closely watched divorce cases, a settlement that will leave intact Murdoch’s firm grip over his global media and entertainment empire.

Beverly Hills lawyer Daniel Jaffe, who represents Anna Murdoch, confirmed to The Times late Tuesday that a judgment of dissolution will be filed this morning in Los Angeles Superior Court. Jaffe would not provide any other details, citing a confidentiality agreement on the financial settlement.

The Murdochs are expected to issue a brief statement that will stress that family ownership and management of News Corp., the Australian parent company of Murdoch’s holdings, will be unaffected by the settlement.

One of the world’s largest media companies, News Corp.’s numerous global assets include the Fox TV network, the 20th Century Fox film studio, the Los Angeles Dodgers, cable TV channels, newspapers and satellite TV operations. Murdoch controls 30.1% of News Corp.

Anna Murdoch filed for divorce July 21 after 31 years of marriage, one month after the couple separated. At the time, speculation arose that Murdoch’s control might be loosened because California is a community property state, in which assets accumulated during a marriage are split evenly.

News Corp. and Murdoch himself dismissed that speculation. In an interview for a Los Angeles Times Magazine piece in January, Murdoch said that “all of the shares are in unbreakable trusts for the children and grandchildren.” He added that Anna Murdoch “would do nothing to hurt the children.”

Those close to Anna Murdoch also stressed that the couple planned to act in the best interests of their children.

The couple’s three children, Lachlan, Elisabeth and James, work for the company, with Lachlan widely considered the heir apparent. Murdoch also has a daughter, Prudence, from a previous marriage, who does not work for News Corp.

Although details of the settlement will be kept private, one issue Anna Murdoch’s lawyers were known to be pushing for--and are believed to have received--is an agreement that gives her a say if Murdoch considers selling News Corp.

Although details may never be known, the settlement is probably one of the largest ever involving a California resident and perhaps one of the largest in history.

Murdoch has been spending much of his time in New York. Jaffe confirmed, however, that he remains a legal resident of Los Angeles. People close to Murdoch say that one main reason he does so is for tax purposes, given New York City’s high tax burden.

As such, the Australian-born Murdoch, 68, is probably Los Angeles’ richest individual. Last fall, Forbes listed Murdoch’s net worth at $5.6 billion, and his stock holdings have appreciated significantly since then.

Born in Scotland but raised in Australia, Anna Murdoch, who turns 55 this month, first met her future husband when she interviewed him as a young journalist. She later became a novelist.

The couple’s separation last year came as a shock to those who know them, in part because Anna Murdoch is a devout Catholic and because there were never any public hints of any rift.

The divorce case bogged down this spring, in part, sources said at the time, because Anna Murdoch’s lawyers were frustrated trying to get a grasp of Murdoch’s extensive media empire due to his prolific deal making. Her legal team hired lawyers in Australia to try to pin down the complex group of holdings Murdoch owns.

In recent months, Murdoch has been seen frequently with Wendy Deng, a 32-year-old executive with his StarTV company in Hong Kong.

In March, the Murdochs were in the same location for the marriage of Lachlan to Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model Sarah O’Hare.

Murdoch’s newspaper rivals in Great Britain and Australia over the last year have relished chronicling his private life in much the same way Murdoch’s own tabloids put the private lives of celebrities and other public figures under the microscope.

In the Times magazine interview, however, Murdoch said: “They peep into my private life. You just have to live with it.”

Murdoch spokesman Howard Rubenstein could not be reached for comment.