Precedent-setting decision on construction defects in Arapahoe County

An Arapahoe County district judge handed down an opinion Thursday that sets a precedent for the way arbitration clauses are treated in governing documents for homeowners associations. The opinion 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. The decision was filed in the case of Vallagio at Inverness Residential Condominium Association Inc. v. Metropolitan…