Liam Payne’s close pal Roger Nores is suing the late musician’s father, Geoff Payne, for defamation as he accuses him of making false statements in sworn declarations to police

Liam Payne’s close friend Roger Nores is suing the late singer’s father, Geoff Payne, for defamation after alleging he made false and defamatory statements.

In a new federal lawsuit filed in Florida Wednesday, the businessman alleged that Geoff shared false statements about him in sworn declarations to Buenos Aires police. In these remarks, Geoff claimed that Roger had “full responsibility for Liam’s care during this last period when I was not there.” Roger has adamantly denied these claims stating in the lawsuit that he “never agreed to be and was never the caretaker of Liam.”

Roger said that these statements negatively impacted his public image and led to “extensive damages,” according to the new suit obtained by Rolling Stone. The filing also pledges that all of the money awarded from the suit would go directly to Liam’s seven-year-old son Bear, whom he shared with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole.

In an interview with the news outlet, Roger said: “All the proceeds will be donated to my friend’s son. Geoff needs to backtrack on his [sworn] 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.”

Roger Nores is suing Liam Payne’s father for defamation ( 
Image:
Erica Canepa/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Roger was with Liam on the day of his untimely passing and was one of the five people charged in connection to his death. The 31-year-old singer died on October 16, 2024, after falling from a third story balcony at the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In Liam’s death investigation, Roger was listed as a “representative” for the singer and was accused of being “held criminally responsible for the death of Liam James Payne through the execution of actions and omissions in the period prior to and contemporaneous that culminated in Payne falling from the balcony of room No. 310 corresponding to the Casa Sur Palermo hotel.”

The charges further allege that “the accused N. failed to comply with his duties of care, assistance and aid that he had towards Payne due not only to a pre-existing legal duty but also to specific functions of guidance and personal accompaniment, previously coordinated and accepted by the relevance and activities of his profession, abandoning him to his fate, knowing that he was incapable of caring for himself, knowing that the accused suffered from multiple previous addictions – to alcohol and cocaine – and having full knowledge of the state of intoxication, vulnerability and helplessness in which he found himself.”

Geoff Payne claimed that Roger had ‘full responsibility for Liam’s care’ ( Image: Luciano Gonzalez/Anadolu/Getty Images)
Following Liam’s death, Roger was initially given a “abandonment followed by death” charge, which can be punishable for up to 15 years in prison. After further review of the case, a judge later lessened this charge to “homicidio culposo,” which translates to “wrongful death” due to “imprudence and negligence.” Now that Roger has been charged with negligent homicide, he could face one to five years if convicted. He has pled not guilty to these charges.

Roger claimed that he sent a demand defamation retraction letter to Geoff’s lawyers on Jan. 8. In response to this, Geoff’s legal team responded by refusing to retract Geoff’s earlier statements to authorities. In the response letter, which was featured in the suit, Geoff’s attorneys accused Roger of “seeking to interfere with a police investigation by pressuring [Geoff] to change his evidence,” and would “bring his actions to the attention of the Argentinian authorities.”

Liam Payne died at the age of 31 after falling off of a third floor hotel balcony ( Image: John Phillips/Getty Images)Don’t Miss
Geoff’s attorney’s continued: “The Estate could not take this matter more seriously. It has therefore taken the decision to support [Geoff] in this matter. [Geoff] denies, in the strongest possible terms, that he has defamed or otherwise caused any harm to your client (in the manner set out by your correspondence of 8 January 2025 or otherwise).”

In response to Roger’s gesture to send all of the proceeds from the suit to Liam’s son, the estate described the move as “pointless” and claimed that the lawsuit itself would be causing Bear Payne more “irreparable damage.”