Liam Payne’s family have a devastating fear for son Bear in the wake of his close friend SUING dad Geoff. The ITV The X Factor star, who hails from Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, tragically died back in October following a fall from a third-floor balcony.
Geoff has been named in a US defamation lawsuit by the singer’s friend Roger Nores. Mr r Nores claims if his lawsuit is successful, all the money he receives will go to Liam’s son, Bear Payne, who he shares with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
But Liam’s estate is said to have slammed the idea of donating the money to Bear as “pointless” and claimed the legal action will cause “irreparable damage” to the young child, who is now aged seven following Liam and Cheryl’s previous romance.
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The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach, Florida, comes after the multimillionaire was charged with negligent homicide, the Spanish equivalent to manslaughter, over Liam’s tragic death. Judge Laura Bruniard accused Mr 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”.
In the lawsuit, Mr Nores claims Geoff Payne made “misleading false and defamatory” statements to Argentine authorities investigating the death. According to Mr 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.
Mr Nores has repeatedly insisted that he was a close friend of Liam’s but never acted as the singer’s caretaker and maintains that he had no legal duty to oversee Liam’s well-being. 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.”
Mr Nores said these statements have caused “irreparable damage” to his reputation, with lawyers demanding Geoff retract and correct his declarations.