Liam Payne’s friend sues singer’s father for defamation

The disputed statements include allegations that, “due to his addictions”, Payne was in the care of his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and Mr Nores.

However, Mr Nores claims his relationship with Payne was misrepresented, saying they had a “dear mutual friendship” but that he “never had a legal duty of care” towards him.

“Liam was an independent adult person who made all his own decisions,” the lawsuit stated.

It noted how Mr Nores was “never the caretaker of Liam”.

He added that the statements made by Payne’s father, which were shared with the media, had an “adverse impact” on his reputation of “mega proportions with extensive damages”.

The new document stated that the “net financial proceeds” from the lawsuit will be donated to the One Direction and solo star’s son Bear, whom he shared with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.

Cheryl was among the mourners at Payne’s star-studded funeral in November, alongside his former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

The UK inquest into Payne’s death has been adjourned until a pre-inquest review on 6 November.

The Press Assocation has contacted Mr Nores and Mr Payne for a comment.