The father of late One Direction star Liam Payne, Jeff Payne, has been named in a US libel case by the singer's friend Roger Norris.
Payne died at the age of 31 From “multiple traumas” and “internal and external bleeding”, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Five people have been charged over his death, including Mr Norris, who has been charged with manslaughter. Argentine prosecutors alleged that he “abandoned” the singer and failed to carry out his duty of care responsibilities.
In a legal complaint filed in Florida on Wednesday, Mr. Norris alleged that Payne's father made “false” statements to Argentine officials that “contained material omissions, many parts of which were not based on personal knowledge.”
The disputed statements include claims that Payne was “addictively” in the care of his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and Mr Norris.
However, Mr Norris claims his relationship with Payne was misrepresented, saying they had a “dear mutual friendship” but he had “no legal duty of care” towards him.
“Liam was an independent adult who made all his own decisions,” the lawsuit stated.
She noted how Mr Norris was “never Liam's caretaker”.
He added that the statements made by Payne's father, which were circulated with the media, had had a “negative impact” on his reputation of “massive proportions with serious damage.”
The new document stated that the “net financial proceeds” from the lawsuit will be donated to the One Direction star's solo son, whom he shares with Girls Aloud singer Cheryl.
Cheryl was among the mourners in Payne's star-studded funeral is in Novemberalongside former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
The inquest into Payne's death in the UK has been postponed until a pre-inquest review on 6 November.
The Press Association has contacted Mr Norris and Mr Payne for comment.
