Roger Nores sues Liam Payne's father Geoff for defamation

Nearly three months after Liam Payne’s death, his friend Roger Nores has reportedly named the singer’s father in a defamation lawsuit.
In a court filing obtained by TMZ on Thursday, January 16, Nores refuted Geoff Payne’s previous claim that Nores had “full responsibility for Liam’s care” ahead of his death. While Nores acknowledged that he was a friend to Liam, he said that he “never agreed to be and was never the caretaker of Liam.” Nores is now accusing Geoff of tarnishing his reputation with his alleged account.
Liam, who was best known for his time in the British boy band One Direction, suffered a fatal fall from a third-story balcony in Argentina in October 2024. He was 31. An autopsy later revealed that Liam had multiple drugs in his system, and Nores has since been accused of abandoning Liam ahead of his death. (Nores previously denied his involvement via multiple public statements.)

In his latest court declaration, Nores also claimed that Geoff failed to share email correspondence about Liam. He further alleged that he invited Geoff to visit Liam at his Florida home in September 2024, but Geoff never accepted.

According to Nores, Geoff had entrusted one of Liam’s security guards to serve as a caretaker before the singer fired him. The court documents claim Geoff “self-declared” as Liam’s caretaker because Liam never rehired a bodyguard.
Nores also claimed that he would donate any money awarded from the suit to Liam’s son, Bear. (Liam shared his 7-year-old child with ex Cheryl Cole.)

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Geoff has not publicly addressed Nores’ accusations. He previously traveled from England to Argentina in order to identify Liam’s body, later accompanying it back to the U.K. following an investigation.
Along with Bear, Liam is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen, and two older sisters. His relatives joined his One Direction bandmates, girlfriend Kate Cassidy and other friends to mourn his death in an intimate funeral in November 2024.

“We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul,” Liam’s family said in a statement one month prior. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”

Nores has also said that he was “heartbroken” over Liam’s death.
“I never abandoned Liam. I went to his hotel 3 times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened,” Nores told the Daily Mail in November 2024. “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.”
He added, “I wasn’t Liam’s manager; he was just my very dear friend … I’m really heartbroken with this tragedy, and I’ve been missing my friend every day.”