Reno, Nevada - Rupert Murdoch has failed in his attempt to give his eldest son control of his media empire, the latest chapter in an increasingly bitter succession struggle.

The court case saw the 93-year-old media mogul reportedly blocked in his bid to change his family trust, which gives his four oldest children equal voting power after his death.

A court commissioner ruled that Murdoch and his son Lachlan, who is the head of Fox News and News Corp, had acted in "bad faith" and called their efforts a "carefully crafted charade" designed to "permanently cement" Lachlan’s control, according to the New York Times.

The conflict over the family trust is not thought to be about money, as Murdoch is not seeking to diminish any of his children’s financial inheritance.

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Instead, the move would have changed the voting power of his less conservative children, cementing a right-wing agenda across the media empire.

Lawyer Adam Streisand, acting on behalf of the senior Murdoch, told the newspaper they planned to appeal the decision.

"We welcome Commissioner Gorman’s decision and hope that we can move beyond this litigation to focus on strengthening and rebuilding relationships among all family members," Elisabeth, Prudence, and James said in a statement given to the New York Times.

The legal case reportedly began when the Murdoch children watched an episode of hit HBO drama Succession, which sees the patriarch, played by Brian Cox, leave family and business in chaos after his death.

The episode led Elisabeth’s representative to the trust to write a "'Succession' memo" to prevent a repeat in real life, per the Times.

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Murdoch established the family trust in 2006, which sees him retain control over the business until his death, when voting shares will be distributed equally among his four oldest children.

The media titan also has two younger children, Grace and Chloe, who do not have any voting rights under the agreement but have an equal financial stake.