Rupert Murdoch & Anna Torv: $1.7 Billion and Remarried in 17 Days
A 32-year marriage, a $1.7 billion payout, and a new wife just 17 days later
Key Facts
What Happened
Rupert Murdoch, the Australian-born media mogul who built News Corporation into one of the most powerful media companies in history, divorced his second wife Anna Torv in 1999 after 32 years of marriage. The settlement of $1.7 billion in assets -- including $110 million in cash and a portfolio of News Corp properties -- was the largest divorce settlement in history at that time.
Anna, a journalist and novelist, had been Murdoch's partner through his most transformative years -- the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the launch of Fox Broadcasting, and the expansion into British and Asian media markets. Under California community property law (they had residences in both New York and California), she was entitled to half of the assets accumulated during their three-decade marriage.
What made the divorce truly scandalous was the speed of Murdoch's next move. Just 17 days after the divorce was finalized, he married Wendi Deng, a 30-year-old Chinese-born Yale graduate who had been working at his Hong Kong-based Star TV. The 38-year age gap and lightning-fast remarriage dominated tabloids worldwide -- including Murdoch's own newspapers, which awkwardly tried to report the story without angering their boss.
The Murdoch-Torv divorce also had major corporate implications. Anna had received shares in News Corp as part of the settlement, and her status as a major shareholder gave her a voice in the company's direction. The case demonstrated that divorcing a media mogul doesn't just divide personal wealth -- it reshuffles corporate power.
Legal Breakdown: Media Empire Division
32 Years of Community Property
A 32-year marriage in a community property state meant that virtually every asset Murdoch acquired since 1967 was marital property. The Fox empire, the newspaper holdings, the broadcast licenses -- all built during the marriage, all subject to division. Long marriages produce the largest and most complex settlements because the marital estate is so vast.
Media Assets as Marital Property
Dividing a media empire is unlike dividing stocks or real estate. Media companies involve broadcast licenses, content libraries, editorial influence, and political access. The Murdoch settlement required both financial valuations and negotiations about ongoing corporate control.
Speed of Remarriage
Murdoch's 17-day turnaround suggests the Wendi Deng relationship was well-established before the divorce was finalized. While this has no legal impact on the divorce settlement itself (California is no-fault), it often affects public sympathy and can influence negotiation dynamics if the new relationship was discovered before settlement terms were locked in.
What This Means for Your Divorce
- →Long marriages in community property states produce the largest settlements because the marital estate has decades to grow.
- →Media and content companies add unique complexity to divorce -- broadcast licenses, editorial control, and public influence all factor in.
- →The speed of a remarriage can signal that the new relationship overlapped with the old one. Document evidence of affairs for negotiation leverage.
- →Receiving company stock in a divorce settlement gives you corporate governance rights, not just financial value.
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This article is based on publicly available court records, news reports, and legal analysis. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading this content.
Divorce laws vary by jurisdiction. Always consult a licensed attorney in your area before making legal decisions.