Liam Payne's friend will not be charged over his death
The One Direction singer passed away after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina in October, and his pal Rogelio 'Roger' Nores and four others had been facing charges relating to his passing, but appeal court judges have now cleared three of them and reversed an earlier decision to charge them
22 February 2025
Roger's lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona, is "happy" with the decision to reverse the manslaughter charge, having argued against prosecutors' claims the businessman was the 'Strip That Down' singer's representative and had failed in his duty of care.
He said in a statement: "We are happy to have reversed the decision by 360 degrees.
"We have always maintained that Rogelio Nores was not responsible for Liam Payne's death.
"He was only his friend and had no duty or legal obligation to ensure his safety."
Appeal court judges found Roger didn't play a role in his friend "obtaining and consuming alcohol", now could he have done anything in the hours leading up to Liam's death to prevent it.
They wrote in documents obtained by Rolling Stone: "It is possible that, if he had stayed in his company at all times, [Payne] would not have obtained the drugs and alcohol in the quantities necessary for the state of intoxication he exhibited at the time of his death.
"But it cannot be ruled out that, even if he had taken those extreme precautions... that [Payne] would have managed to obtain the substances anyway, as is common among addicts, even when they are under the loving care of their family."
And the panel felt Roger's "situation" was no different to Liam's family's responsibility in helping the troubled star with his addiction issues, referring to an email sent in August from the businessman to the pop star's dad expressing his concerns.
The ruling stated: "Despite accusing Nores of failing to communicate and raise alarms with the victim's family, they remained silent about the email through which the accused had expressed his concerns and warned that he would not be able to look after Payne's health."
As well as Roger, Esteban Grassi, the chief receptionist at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires who made a 911 call before Liam died, and the hotel's head of security Gilda Martin have also been cleared of manslaughter.
The judges felt there wasn't enough proof they acted in "thoughtless, reckless, or merely negligent behaviour" in their actions leading up to his death.
The ruling noted the of the trio "formation of this case does not affect their good name and honour."
However, waiter Braian Nahuel Paiz, 24, and hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra,21, remain in prison after losing an appeal over a decision to charge them with supplying Liam with drugs.
They face jail terms of four to 15 years behind bars if convicted.
The extensive ruling agreed that Liam died after falling unconscious from his balcony.
However, it added: "It it is unknown whether it was due to a clumsy manoeuvre on [Payne's] part near the railing or in the vicinity, or if it happened because they lost consciousness and fell into the void as dead weight.
"Only, thanks to medical reports, some assumptions have been made about their mental condition at the time of the fall, based on the absence of defensive or protective marks at the moment of the impact."
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