Following the abrupt summer closure of Rainbow Health, a nonprofit that offered mental health and substance abuse support for the LGBTQ+ community and people living with HIV, Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a court supervision petition last week over the clinic’s dissolution. 

“I believe court supervision is the proper next step in this case,” Ellison said in a statement . “It not only minimizes the risk of separate disputes about who gets what, it can give the employees the best shot to potentially get paid.” 

Rainbow Health employees were not notified about the closure until it was announced, leaving workers confused and thousands of patients without care, according to news reports. 

Shortly after Ellison announced filing the petition, Rainbow Health union members released a statement praising his actions. 

“We are heartened to know that Attorney General Ellison and his office are conducting an ongoing investigation, and trust in the court to supervise the dissolution process,” said Ash Tifa, Rainbow Health’s Legal Services Program Coordinator, in the statement. “The former staff, the people we served, and the LGBTQIA+ and HIV+ communities of Minnesota are still reeling from the sudden closure this summer with no notice. The ramifications are still being felt by our community.” 

Language in the workers’ union contract as members of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa requires 30 days advance notice of layoff to union-represented employees, according to Rainbow Health’s statement. Employees learned the news just hours before the organization said it was closing the clinic’s doors forever with no explanation of what happened. 

“While we don’t know all the next steps, we remain committed to standing up together for what is right in whatever ways we can,” Tifa said in the statement.