The father of late One Direction star Liam Payne, Geoff Payne, is being sued for defamation by the singer’s friend Roger Nores over statements made after his death.
Payne died, aged 31, from “multiple trauma” and “internal and external haemorrhage”, after he fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Five people were charged over his death, including Mr Nores, who was accused of manslaughter. Argentine prosecutors claimed he “abandoned” the singer and failed in his duty of care responsibilities.
In a legal complaint filed in the US state of Florida on Wednesday, Mr Nores claimed Payne’s father made “false” declarations to Argentine officials which “contained material omissions, and many parts were not based on personal knowledge”.
The disputed statements include allegations that, “due to his addictions”, Payne was in the care of his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and Mr Nores.
However, Mr Nores claims his relationship with Payne was misrepresented, saying they had a “dear mutual friendship” but that he “never had a legal duty of care” towards him.
“Liam was an independent adult person who made all his own decisions,” the lawsuit stated.
It noted how Mr Nores was “never the caretaker of Liam”.
He added that the statements made by Payne’s father, which were shared with the media, had an “adverse impact” on his reputation of “mega proportions with extensive damages”.
The new document stated that the “net financial proceeds” from the lawsuit would be donated to the One Direction and solo star’s son Bear, whom he shared with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
Cheryl was among the mourners at Payne’s funeral in November, alongside his former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
The UK inquest into Payne’s death has been adjourned until a pre-inquest review on 6 November.
The Press Assocation has contacted Mr Nores and Mr Payne for a comment.
