Liam Payne’s friend sues late singer’s father for defamation

Posted On January 17, 2025January 17, 2025

Roger Nores, a friend of the late One Direction singer Liam Payne, has filed a lawsuit against the musician’s father, Geoff, accusing him of defamation.

Following Payne’s death on October 16th, 2024, Geoff told Argentinian prosecutors that Nores “had full responsibility for Liam’s care,” leading to an original charge of “abandonment followed by death” which Nores rebuts.

Nores is adamant that he “never agreed to be the caretaker of Liam” and that he “did not have a legal duty to Liam.” In December, the judge lowered Nores’ charge to wrongful death due to “imprudence and negligence,” but he does not believe himself responsible for the tragedy.

Payne’s friend believes that Geoff’s claims have affected him to “mega proportions with extensive damages.” Nores states that Payne’s family did indeed have contact with their son, “Geoff’s family communicated with Liam via Liam’s laptop,” despite accusations that they were not able to contact him through anyone besides the singer’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, and Nores.

Geoff also accused Nores of inadequately looking after Payne, who “could not be left alone in the vulnerable situation in which he was.” Following claims that Nores was responsible for Payne firing his bodyguard, leaving him with one less person to look out for him, Nores accused Geoff of not providing “a temporary or new bodyguard.”

Nores has included evidence in his lawsuit of an email between him and Geoff from August which states that Nores is “going to stay fully out of the picture.” Still, Payne’s estate has not backed down, accusing Nores of “seeking to interfere with a police investigation by pressuring [Geoff] to change his evidence.”

The estate claimed that Geoff “denies, in the strongest possible terms, that he has defamed or otherwise caused any harm to your client.”

Nores is adamant that he was simply Payne’s close friend and was not responsible for his death, stating, “Geoff needs to backtrack on his statement as he very well knows I wasn’t Liam’s nurse or caretaker. Liam, who I miss every day, was my dear friend and an independent, brilliant, respectful, free man who did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted.”

Last month, Nores was one of five individuals to be charged in connection with the singer’s death, facing an accusation of manslaughter which he denies.

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