Liam Payne’s Pal Roger Nores Sues Late Singer’s Dad Geoff For Defamation After Being Charged with Manslaughter In Connection to Drug-Fueled Balcony Plunge
Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores sued his father Geoff Payne for defamation.
Jan. 16 2025, Published 2:06 p.m. ET
Liam Payne's friend has sued his grieving father.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Roger Nores filed a defamation suit against Geoff Payne after he was charged with manslaughter in connection with the late One Direction singer's drug-fueled death.
Nores, 35, alleged Geoff misrepresented his friendship with Payne and made false and defamatory statements about him to Argentinian prosecutors.
Payne and Nores spent time together in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before his death.
Geoff claimed Nores provided his son with drugs and had "full responsibility” for the singer's care before his death.
In Nores' lawsuit, which he filed on Thursday, January 16, in Florida, he stated that while he was "dear friends" with the singer, he "never agreed to be and was never the caretaker of Liam."
He further denied providing the father-of-one with "any recreational drugs" or "controlled any prescribed medications” before he tragically fell from his third floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024.
Prosecutors claimed the five individuals, including Nores, were aware Payne was intoxicated and failed to protect him before his death.
The lawsuit came after Nores and four other people were charged with manslaughter last month in connection to Payne's death.
Argentinian prosecutors alleged Nores and the four other defendants were aware Payne was intoxicated on the night of his death, but failed to intervene or protect him before he fell to his death.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Payne's autopsy revealed he had a mixture of illegal substances in his system at the time of his death, including "pink cocaine."
Nores claimed in his lawsuit he 'never agreed to be and was never the caretaker of Liam.'
Payne's friend addressed the Night Changes singer's history with addiction in his lawsuit.
Nores claimed Payne struggled with substance abuse issues for years and further alleged he warned Geoff months prior that he couldn't "support" Payne in the ways he needed before his fatal fall.
The filing included a note Nores allegedly sent Geoff stating he "could not further as a friend devote the same time to support Liam."
His lawsuit also claimed a month after he sent Geoff the note, he called Payne's father and asked him to come to Florida to help care for his son.
Geoff responded by enlisting his son's bodyguard, Bledar Vata, to be his "paid caretaker," but Payne eventually fired him.
When Payne fired Vata, the lawsuit stated "Geoff as self declared caretaker of Liam never provided for a temporary or new bodyguard caretaker.
Nores accused Payne's father of misrepresenting their friendship and making false and defamatory statements about him to authorities.
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Before he was hit with manslaughter charges, Nores insisted he did not abandon his friend while doubling-down on his claim it was not his responsibility to look after him.
He said: "I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened.
"There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen.
"I’ve given my statement to the prosecutor on Oct 17 as a witness and I haven’t spoken to any police officer or prosecutor since."
Sources previously claimed the 35-year-old billionaire has been telling his inner circle he's being used as a "scapegoat" in Payne's death.
The insider said: "He says he’s being railroaded.
"He thinks that Argentina is making an example out of him to save face. He says he’s a scapegoat."
