diff --git a/app/controllers/versions_controller.rb b/app/controllers/versions_controller.rb
index d1ad4c7a8a..eacd1b6089 100644
--- a/app/controllers/versions_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/versions_controller.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ def create
     VersionService.open(@item, open_params)
     render plain: @item.current_version
   rescue Dor::Exception => e
-    render build_error(e)
+    render build_error('Unable to open version', e)
   end
 
   def current
@@ -17,18 +17,20 @@ def current
   def close_current
     VersionService.close(@item, close_params)
     render plain: "version #{@item.current_version} closed"
+  rescue Dor::Exception => e
+    render build_error('Unable to close version', e)
   end
 
   private
 
   # JSON-API error response
-  def build_error(err)
+  def build_error(msg, err)
     {
       json: {
         errors: [
           {
             "status": '422',
-            "title": 'Unable to open version',
+            "title": msg,
             "detail": err.message
           }
         ]
diff --git a/spec/controllers/versions_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/versions_controller_spec.rb
index 9d58bacf12..d6410a0c7e 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/versions_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/versions_controller_spec.rb
@@ -21,16 +21,38 @@
   end
 
   describe '/versions/current/close' do
-    it 'closes the current version when posted to' do
-      expect(VersionService).to receive(:close)
-      post :close_current, params: { object_id: item.pid }, as: :json
-      expect(response.body).to match(/version 1 closed/)
+    context 'when closing a version succeedes' do
+      before do
+        allow(VersionService).to receive(:close)
+      end
+
+      it 'closes the current version when posted to' do
+        post :close_current, params: { object_id: item.pid }, as: :json
+        expect(VersionService).to have_received(:close)
+        expect(response.body).to match(/version 1 closed/)
+      end
+
+      it 'forwards optional params to the VersionService#close method' do
+        post :close_current, params: { object_id: item.pid }, body: %( {"description": "some text", "significance": "major"} ), as: :json
+        expect(response.body).to match(/version 1 closed/)
+        expect(VersionService).to have_received(:close).with(item, description: 'some text', significance: :major)
+      end
     end
 
-    it 'forwards optional params to the VersionService#close method' do
-      expect(VersionService).to receive(:close).with(item, description: 'some text', significance: :major)
-      post :close_current, params: { object_id: item.pid }, body: %( {"description": "some text", "significance": "major"} ), as: :json
-      expect(response.body).to match(/version 1 closed/)
+    context 'when closing a version fails' do
+      before do
+        allow(VersionService).to receive(:close)
+          .and_raise(Dor::Exception, 'Trying to close version on an object not opened for versioning')
+      end
+
+      it 'returns an error' do
+        post :close_current, params: { object_id: item.pid }, as: :json
+        expect(response.body).to eq(
+          '{"errors":[{"status":"422","title":"Unable to close version",' \
+          '"detail":"Trying to close version on an object not opened for versioning"}]}'
+        )
+        expect(response.status).to eq 422
+      end
     end
   end