Wendi Deng (2nd L) lunges toward a man trying to attack her husband, News Corp Chief Executive and Chairman Rupert Murdoch, during a parliamentary committee hearing on phone hacking at Portcullis House in London in this July 19, 2011 file photo. — Reuters
LOS ANGELES — News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch has filed for divorce from Wendi Deng Murdoch, his Chinese-born wife since 1999, citing a breakdown in the relationship. The matter doesn't alter the succession plan for the media company, which the 82-year-old founder controls through a family trust. Murdoch filed a one-page document Thursday indicating that he was opening a divorce case in New York State Supreme Court. A News Corp. spokesperson confirmed the filing. The divorce filing comes just a week before News Corp. begins the process of splitting in two. A sealed document with the filing says, “the relationship between the husband and wife has broken down irretrievably,” according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter was personal. The two are parents to daughters Grace and Chloe, ages 11 and 9. The girls have no voting stake in the company, but they are beneficiaries of 8.7 million non-voting shares that are held in a trust. Wendi Deng Murdoch, 44, also has non-voting shares. Murdoch controls nearly 40 percent of the voting shares of News Corp. through a separate family trust. He has four other children from two previous marriages, including three who have active roles within the company: James, Lachlan and Elisabeth. — AP
