Justia District of Columbia Court of Appeals Opinion Summaries

The case involves a dispute between a condominium unit owners association and certain individual unit owners against the developers of the condominium and the unit owners association of a neighboring condominium. The plaintiffs alleged that the developers violated statutory disclosure requirements and committed fraud by failing to inform them of amendments to the condominium bylaws that imposed restrictions for the benefit of the neighboring condominium. They sought a declaratory judgment that the bylaw amendments were void.The Superior Court of the District of Columbia granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants. The court ruled that the plaintiffs' common law fraud claims were barred by a contractual provision requiring such claims to be asserted within one year of closing. The court also found that the plaintiffs were on constructive notice of the bylaw amendments and failed to demonstrate damages beyond the statutory violation for their claims under the Condominium Act. The court upheld the bylaw amendments, finding they did not violate the Condominium Act and were binding on the plaintiffs.The District of Columbia Court of Appeals reviewed the case and affirmed the Superior Court's decision. The appellate court held that the one-year contractual limitation period applied to all claims against the developers, including statutory claims under the Condominium Act and the Consumer Protection Procedures Act. The court also found that the bylaw amendments did not violate the Condominium Act, as they were adopted by the declarant when it was the sole unit owner and were necessary to settle litigation with the neighboring condominium. The court concluded that the restrictions in the amended bylaws were reasonable and served a legitimate interest. View "Unit Owners Ass'n of 2337 Champlain St. Condo., et al. v. 2337 Champlain St., LLC, et al." on Justia Law