Liam Payne’s Friend Roger Nores Files Libel Lawsuit Against the Father of the Deceased One Direction Star

Roger Nores Files Defamation Lawsuit

Liam Payne’s friend Roger Nores is suing the late One Direction star’s father for defamation, according to a new lawsuit.

• READ MORE: Liam Payne 1993–2024: The One Direction star who helped ignite a pop phenomenon

Payne died on October 16 last year after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel. The Argentine prosecutor’s office reported that the cause of death was multiple injuries, along with internal and external bleeding.

Last week, a hearing at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court confirmed that the death resulted from “polytrauma,” which refers to multiple traumatic injuries to the body’s organ systems (through BBC).

Nores is one of five individuals facing charges in Argentina related to the death, alongside CasaSur Palermo hotel manager Gilda Martin, front desk head Esteban Grassi, Ezequiel Pereira, and Brian Pais.

Nores, Martin, and Grassi have been charged with wrongful death, with the judge stating: “I do not believe (Nores, Martin, and Grassi) planned and wanted Payne to die. They did not plan the outcome, but created a legally unacceptable risk.”

Lawsuit Details and Claims

This week (January 15), Nores filed a federal defamation lawsuit in Florida against Liam’s father Jeff Payne. According to court documents reviewed by TMZ and Rolling Stone, Nores claims that Jeff filed an affidavit with the Buenos Aires police stating that Nores was “ultimately responsible for the care of Liam during that final period when I was not there.”

Nores denies this, stating in the lawsuit that he “never consented to and was never Liam’s caretaker.” He asserted that although they were “dear friends,” his assistance was never paid. He argues that the statements in the affidavit are defamatory and have caused him damages exceeding $10 million (£8.1 million), but has pledged to donate any money received from the suit to Liam’s son, Bear.

In the lawsuit, Nores asserts that Jeff failed to disclose emails exchanged between them, including one where Nores expressed that “as a friend, he could not continue to devote as much time to supporting Liam.”

Nores claims he urged Jeff in September 2024 to come to Liam’s home to take care of his son.

In his lawsuit, Nores maintains that he “never gave Liam any recreational drugs and never supervised Liam’s prescribed medications.”

In a press statement, Nores remarked: “Jeff must retract his affidavit as he knows full well that I was not Liam’s nurse or caregiver. Liam, who I miss every day, was a dear friend and an independent, brilliant, respectful free man who did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.”

A letter from Liam Payne’s estate was included in the lawsuit, refusing to retract the statements and accusing Nores of “attempting to interfere with the police investigation by pressuring (Jeff) to change his testimony.” They stated they would “bring his actions to the attention of the Argentine authorities.” They also added: “The Estate could not have taken this matter more seriously. So he decided to support (Jeff) in this matter. (Jeff) denies in the strongest possible terms that he has defamed or otherwise caused any harm to your client (whether as stated in your correspondence dated January 8, 2025 or otherwise).”

Inquest Progress and Findings

The inquest into Payne’s death revealed last week that it may take “some time” to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the 31-year-old’s passing, with the hearing now adjourned until late 2025.

Senior Coroner Crispin Butler stated: “While inquiries into Liam’s death are ongoing in Argentina, over which I have no legal jurisdiction, it is expected that it may take some time to obtain relevant information to establish how Liam came to his death through the official channel of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.”

Argentine judge Laura Brugnard previously indicated that the singer jumped from a hotel balcony while attempting to escape the building under the influence of drugs.

“Payne’s consciousness changed, and a balcony appeared in the room. The right thing to do was to leave him in a safe place with company until the doctor arrived,” she noted, adding that the hotel staff who returned him to his room “did not act maliciously” but were “unreasonable” in their actions.

She continued: “I submit that (Payne) attempted to walk away from the balcony where he was left as the medical examiners noted that he did not lose his balance. That’s how the fall occurred.”

An earlier report in November by the National Prosecuting Authority Crime and Corrections revealed that Payne’s toxicology results indicated the presence of cocaine, alcohol, and antidepressants at the time of his death.