Court order restores power for Minnesota man using medical equipment

A court order forcing a rural electric co-op to turn power back on for a 69-year-old Taunton man shows how Minnesota’s medical-shutoff protections can become a fast-moving emergency remedy when electricity is needed for life-sustaining equipment. For households that rely on oxygen machines, insulin pumps or other medical devices, the case is a reminder that a documented medical need can trigger legal protection, and that a utility can be ordered to restore service within hours.

Yellow Medicine County District Court issued the temporary restraining order on May 15, 2026, after an ex parte request from Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office. The order required Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association to restore service to the man, identified in court records as C.W. to protect his privacy, within six hours and then confirm the restoration within one hour. Court papers say C.W. lives at 2820 180 Ave. in Taunton, in western Yellow Medicine County, and is being treated under initials because of the medical nature of the dispute.

According to court filings, C.W. told the utility on May 7 that he was facing a shutoff. A medical professional’s letter dated May 8 said he needed continuous electrical service, including for an insulin pump. The Attorney General’s Office said Minnesota Valley disconnected his power on May 13 even after the office provided the medical certification and asked the cooperative to reconnect service. The complaint says the co-op rejected those requests and told the office that C.W. could not use the “excuse” of medically necessary equipment to keep service.

Minnesota law requires utilities, including cooperative electric associations, to reconnect or continue service when a medical emergency exists or when medically necessary equipment needs electricity to sustain life, once proper certification is provided. The Attorney General’s Office said Minnesota Valley is a member-owned cooperative and a state-sanctioned monopoly in its territory, which makes compliance with shutoff protections especially important in rural areas where customers often have no practical alternative provider.

Ellison said the disconnection was unlawful and cruel. The order restored power for one Taunton man, but the dispute carries wider weight across western Minnesota, where co-op customers who depend on medical equipment may be watching closely to see whether utilities honor the law before a shutoff ever reaches a courtroom.