Liam Payne’s friends are suing the singer’s father for defamation

The disputed statement included allegations that, “because of his addiction”, Payne was taken care of by his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and Mr Nores.

However, Mr Nores admitted his relationship with Payne was misunderstood, saying they had a “loving friendship” but he “never had any legal duty” to her.

“Liam is an independent adult who makes all his own decisions,” the lawsuit states.

It stated how Mr Nores had “never been Liam’s carer”.

He added that statements made by Payne’s father, which were shared with the media, had a “detrimental impact” on his reputation of “mega proportions with massive damage”.

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

Cheryl was among the mourners at Payne’s funeral in November, along with her former bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

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

The Press Association has contacted Mr Nores and Mr Payne for comment.