LIAM Payne’s grieving dad is facing a $10million defamation lawsuit filed by his late son’s pal, Rogelio “Roger” Nores, who was charged with manslaughter over his death.
Argentinian businessman Nores claims he has been scapegoated over the One Direction star’s tragic passing last October.
He was one of the last people to see the 31-year-old singer alive before he fell to his death from a third-floor balcony at Buenos Aires’ Casa Sur Palermo hotel.
The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach, Florida, comes on the heels of the multimillionaire being charged with negligent homicide, the Spanish equivalent to manslaughter, over Liam’s tragic death.
Judge Laura Bruniard accused Nores of “abandoning him [Liam] to his luck knowing that he was incapable of fending for himself and knowing that he [Liam] suffered from multiple addictions”.
Nores has vehemently denied the claims – previously saying Liam was “playful, happy and fine” when he left on the day he died.
In the lawsuit, Nores claims Geoff Payne made “misleading false and defamatory” statements to Argentine authorities investigating the death, which he alleges led directly to his arrest and manslaughter charges.
According to Nores, Geoff allegedly told investigators that he and Liam’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, were acting as Liam’s “nurses” and were responsible for his care.
Nores has repeatedly insisted that he was a close friend of Liam’s but never acted as the singer’s caretaker.
He maintains that he had no legal duty to oversee Liam’s well-being.
Geoff allegedly also stated that Nores had taken Liam to see a new and unnamed psychiatrist in Florida after his regular doctor, Dr. Rhaidy, resigned.
Geoff claimed that Nores lied to the new psychiatrist about Liam’s substance abuse issues in order to obtain psychiatric medication and avoid continuing Dr. Rhaidy’s care recommendations.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Liam Payne’s cause of death confirmed in UK inquest after 1D star’s tragic final hours in hotel” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6366818592112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Nores denied this entirely, saying that he and Liam never visited another psychiatrist together and that the claim is “100 per cent fiction.”
Geoff also allegedly told police that Liam could not be left alone, did not have his own phone, and could only be contacted through Kate or Nores.
The Argentinian has accused Geoff’s statements of causing significant harm to his reputation, leading to the legal fallout he is now facing.
Nores said these statements have caused “irreparable damage” to his reputation, with lawyers demanding Geoff retract and correct his declarations.
The lawsuit states: “Defendant Geoff’s false Relevant Contents of the Two Sworn Declarations were and are the proximate cause of the Plaintiff’s injury and damages, including damage to Plaintiff’s reputation.”
Nores has pledged to donate all “net financial proceeds” from the lawsuit to Liam’s son, Bear.
Hotel staff members, including the manager, a waiter, and the receptionist, are also facing charges related to Liam’s death.
Two have been remanded in custody, according to Argentinian news site Infobae.
Braian Paiz, a waiter who allegedly admitted to doing drugs with the singer was charged with supplying narcotics for payment.
Ezequiel Pereyra, a hotel employee, was also reportedly charged with supplying drugs.
Managers of the CasaSur Palermo hotel, Gilda Martín and Esteban Grassi, have allegedly been charged with manslaughter.
Liam died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
He had been in the country to renew his US visa having relocated to Florida with his girlfriend, American influencer Kate Cassidy.
Kate had returned home early after feeling homesick, a few days before he fell to his death in Buenos Aires.
The toxicological exams revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and prescribed antidepressants’ in his body at the time of death.
Shortly before his death, Liam was seen “behaving erratically”, and witnesses claimed he had to be carried back to his room after smashing his laptop.
The autopsy found that he’d died from external bleeding and multiple injuries following his fall from the third-floor balcony of the CasaSur hotel in the smart neighbourhood of Palermo.
Liam’s funeral was held in November in his hometown of Amersham, and saw his family and friends, including his former bandmates, in attendance.
