Liam Payne’s dad sued for $10m by friend of late One Direction singer
Share:
Roger Nores alleges late star’s father made ‘false and defamatory’ claims to police. The father of Liam Payne is being sued for defamation by the late singer’s friend Roger Nores – who was with him in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the night of his death.
![[Liam Payne died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October last year]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/08/14/c4640ecc38ace12c599c5218955d6316Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzM2NDI5NTg0-2.70121192.jpg)
Nores claimed that Geoff Payne made “false and defamatory” statements about him to authorities, which led to his arrest for manslaughter having “abandoned” the singer “knowing that he was incapable of fending for himself”. Judge Laura Bruniard said Nores “failed to fulfil his duties of care, assistance and help” towards Payne, who died after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel.
Five people, including Nores, the hotel’s manager, and a receptionist have been charged over Payne’s death, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office said in a previous statement. Payne’s father claimed in “sworn declarations” to police that Nores was part of a “care group” for his son because he “could not be left alone in the vulnerable position in which he was”.
However, Nores has alleged in a lawsuit valued at more than $10m (£8.1m) filed in Palm Beach, Florida that the One Direction star’s father made “misleading, false and defamatory” claims to police detectives. In the filing, Nores claims he and the “Strip That Down” singer were “mutual dear friends” but that he never agreed to be a caretaker of Liam and did not have a legal duty towards him.
