Liam Payne’s friend, Roger Nores, has accused the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires of negligence, claiming the establishment is responsible for the singer’s fatal fall.
In court documents filed in Argentina, Nores alleged that the hotel failed to provide a 24-hour on-call doctor, which he says is a legal requirement. He argued that the hotel staff neglected their duty to ensure Payne’s safety, despite knowing the singer was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
“A world-famous person was staying with obvious signs of going through a crisis caused by drug intake, and they did not even make an effort to compensate for their legal omission of having a 24-hour doctor,” Nores stated in the documents, according to a report by TMZ.
Nores further claimed that hotel staff, including the operations manager, were aware that Payne had been intoxicated for three days. He also alleged that Payne was trying to flee the hotel with his belongings before the fatal incident.
Payne, 31, fell from a balcony at the hotel. An autopsy revealed that he suffered multiple traumas and internal bleeding. Toxicology reports showed traces of alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants in his system. Investigators suggested Payne may have been semi-conscious or unconscious at the time of the fall, ruling out the likelihood of suicide.
Nores, along with Payne’s friend Braian Nahuel Paiz and hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra, faces charges related to abandonment and narcotics facilitation. Both Paiz and Pereyra have denied any wrongdoing.
Payne’s funeral was held on Nov. 20 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. His family, girlfriend Kate Cassidy, ex-partner Cheryl Tweedy, and former One Direction bandmates attended the private ceremony.
