Appeals court ruling on construction defects backs builder

A Colorado Court of Appeals decision handed down Thursday sets a precedent for the way arbitration clauses are treated in governing documents for homeowners associations. The ruling by a three-judge panel backs a builder's argument that condominium owners' construction-defects complaints can be submitted to arbitration before going to court if called for in original homeowners-association bylaws, even if those bylaws are later changed. The decision was filed in the case of Vallagio at Inverness…