It's the moment both sides have been building toward.Watch the video below: Families wait for verdict in negligence case against Canyon Creek Memory Care in BillingsAfter days of emotional testimony, conflicting expert opinions and heartbreaking accounts from families, attorneys delivered their final arguments in the trial involving Canyon Creek Memory Care in U.S. District Court in Billings on Wednesday.Seventeen people died at the assisted-living facility during that 2020 outbreak, and families who lost loved ones are suing.My biggest thing that Im so sad about is her suffering, and she could not tell anybody," said Dean Simons, whose wife, Mary Ann, died in 2020.The lawsuit was filed by the families of three former residents, who claim Canyon Creek's corporate owners put profits ahead of patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the facility too short-staffed to meet residents' basic needs.Just the facts, said Misty Mitchell. It's plain and simple. It's an open, closed case. The evidence shows... that my dad was not at the end of his life, like they tried to portray him as.Plaintiffs' attorneys told jurors some residents lost significant amounts of weight because they couldn't eat without assistance, while others were found dehydrated or developed bedsores they say could have been prevented.They claim staffing was dire and that care suffered leading to severe neglect, including starvation.It was incredibly important to these families to have their stories told and to be able to say what really happened, said attorney John Heenan, who is representing three families. Sunlight is the best detergent, and it's good through this process to be able to have a jury trial and show a jury what was happening.Elizabeth Hausbeck, attorney for the defendants, argued that the deaths were the result of the disease process and COVID, and not negligence.The defense argued those residents were already suffering from advanced, incurable illnesses before arriving at Canyon Creek and that staff followed COVID-19 protocols.Gary Kalkstein, also an attorney for the defendants, and Koelsch Communities management declined interview requests.Jurors were still deliberating late into the night. ...read more read less