Mary Ann Simons had a stroke and was unable to communicate or eat or drink independently, but court documents allege that she was left alone with food and water — and no ability to feed or drink for herself. In another case, residents started losing weight but staff stopped doing weekly weight checks until the State of Montana ordered them to resume. Those are just some of the allegations against Canyon Creek long-term care facility in Billings in a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of three former Canyon Creek residents’ families, who allege that the corporate owners, Koelsch Senior Communities, and Canyon Creek failed to care for the residents, instead wringing profits out of the business, while leaving seniors who lived there to fend for themselves. Koelsch Senior Communities joins a long and growing list of care facilities that claim that either state or federal exemptions created during the pandemic shield them from liability for patient care during COVID-19. In very broad terms, courts have made a distinction between the pandemic and those who died because of negligence or poor care