Discover the facts behind the lawsuit against Todd Creek Farms HOA, including bankruptcy filings and board disputes in Colorado.
I didn’t set out to become the person who reads HOA bankruptcy filings for fun. That happened by accident, somewhere around my third cup of coffee, when a friend near Brighton, Colorado texted me a link and said, “You have to see what’s happening in my neighborhood.”
I clicked it expecting the usual HOA drama , a fight over paint colors, maybe a dispute about a fence. Instead I found a federal bankruptcy filing, a $219,000 landscaping contract, and a board president whose name kept showing up in every single document.
So I did what I always do when something doesn’t add up: I went down the rabbit hole , court filings, news reports, attorney interviews, all of it. Weeks later, here’s the guide I wish someone had handed me on day one.
If you searched for the Todd Creek Farms HOA lawsuit cases, you probably fall into one of three groups: you live there, you’re eyeing the Todd Creek Farms homes for sale, or you’re just an HOA-conflict enthusiast like I apparently am now. Let’s get into it.
Quick Answer
A group of homeowners The scenario the Todd Creek Farms HOA board I 2023. They accuse. The board of infringement its own bylaws, Blocking access to financial records, and management a landscaping contract against a company Secretly attached the board president. Since then, the dispute has escalated. Federal bankruptcy court, And the scenario itself is now frozen. A judge Organizers the mess.
What Is Todd Creek Farms?
Before the lawsuit and the bankruptcy, Todd Creek Farms was simply a great place to live.
- Location: A semi-rural community roughly 22 miles north of Denver, just west of Brighton in Adams County.
- Size: About 370 homes spread across 750 acres.
- Character: Many lots include room for horses or goats. Trails wind through the property, and the mountains sit right in the background.
- Convenience: The Orchard Town Center and Denver International Airport both stay within easy reach.
- Value: Buyers get bigger lots at smaller-city prices , one reason the community keeps attracting attention.
Here’s the detail that made me sit up: oil and gas drilling operates on the property. That’s not something most subdivisions deal with. The drilling generated real money for years , roughly $1.34 million in royalty revenue since 2020 , that flowed back to the HOA and, by extension, the community. Keep that number in mind; it matters later.
What Does the HOA Actually Do?
Like most homeowners associations, the Todd Creek Farms HOA handles the unglamorous essentials:
- Maintains trails and open space
- Keeps streetlights and shared infrastructure running
- Manages the community budget and oil/gas royalty income
- Organizes events like the Fall Festival
- Enforces covenants that protect the neighborhood’s look and feel
A five-person board runs the show, and residents elect that board. The system works fine , until it doesn’t. At Todd Creek Farms, “doesn’t” arrived with a bang.
Why Did Homeowners Sue Todd Creek Farms HOA?
Let’s break the lawsuit against Todd Creek Farms HOA into its core allegations. I’ll walk through each one.
1. The Board-Term “Swap”
In late 2022, two board members resigned. The remaining three members immediately reappointed those two people to each other’s now-vacant seats. I reread that sentence a few times myself the first time I saw it.
The move let board president Jason Pardikes stay on for two more years without ever facing a community-wide vote. Homeowners argue this violated the HOA’s own bylaws and code of conduct. Picture your office skipping the annual review by having two managers swap job titles on paper , the actual work never changes, but suddenly nobody answers to a vote.
2. Blocked Financial Records
Colorado law generally requires HOAs to share financial documents and meeting minutes with homeowners who request them. Plaintiffs say they asked repeatedly , and got stonewalled or delayed instead.
3. The Landscaping Contract
This allegation carries the most zeroes, and it’s the one that pulled me in hardest.
A trail and grounds project originally budgeted around $27,000 ballooned into a contract worth roughly $219,000, paid to a company called Method Landscaping Services. Peter Towsky, the homeowners’ attorney, says the evidence points to Pardikes personally benefiting to the tune of “well over $100,000, it’s fair to say over $150,000,” from money the HOA paid that company.
Pardikes, his wife, and the landscaping company’s principal all deny any improper connection under oath.
4. Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Tie the allegations together, and the plaintiffs make a simple argument: the board stopped serving the community and started serving itself.
A fair note: these remain allegations. No court has proven them at trial. Pardikes maintains he’s never owned any part of Method Landscaping. Independent audits from 2020 through 2024 Reportedly not found financial irregularities under the current board, And the residents have re- elected. Him multiple times Since when the controversy Started, incl this year, What he describes as a record attendance. The HOA’s official position Frame it as such a small group Of disgruntled homeowners who lost the ballot box and turned to litigation instead.
Quick Facts Box
| Detail | Info |
| State lawsuit | Apke, et al. v. Todd Creek Farms Homeowners’ Association, et al. (Case No. 2023CV30537, Adams County District Court, CO) |
| Bankruptcy case | In re: Todd Creek Farms Homeowners’ Association, Inc. (Case No. 25-14385, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Colorado) |
| Location | Brighton, Adams County, Colorado , 370 lots across ~750 acres |
| Lawsuit filed | 2023 |
| Bankruptcy filed | July 15, 2025 |
| Plaintiffs | Initially 21 homeowners, later described as around 31 |
| Defendants | Todd Creek Farms HOA, its board (including President Jason Pardikes), Method Landscaping Services |
| Current status | Paused under the bankruptcy’s automatic stay |
The Bankruptcy Twist Nobody Saw Coming
Here’s where the story stops resembling a typical HOA squabble.
As legal bills piled up , the HOA says it spent close to $900,000 defending itself over 27 months , the board found itself about to hand over bank records that plaintiffs believed would finally connect Pardikes to Method Landscaping’s payments.
Then, on July 15, 2025, the HOA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
I remember reading that timeline and thinking: that’s quite a coincidence, if it is one. A Chapter 11 filing triggers an automatic stay, which freezes everything in the underlying lawsuit. No depositions, no discovery, no trial move forward until the bankruptcy court says otherwise.
The board frames the move as necessary to “stop the bleeding” and protect the community from runaway legal costs. It calls the filing “an end tactic, not a delay tactic.” Attorney Peter Towsky sees it differently , he argues the bankruptcy court must ultimately decide whether this was a genuine financial filing or, in his words, a “bad faith filing strictly to end a lawsuit.”
Here’s what makes the case especially unusual: the HOA itself says the bankruptcy wasn’t caused by mismanagement, unpaid vendors, or a shortage of funds. It reportedly holds more assets than liabilities. That’s an odd thing for a debtor to admit while filing for bankruptcy protection , and it’s exactly why the legitimacy of the filing has turned into its own separate legal fight.
HOA bankruptcies stay genuinely rare. Most associations that hit financial trouble simply raise dues; they don’t file federal paperwork.
Timeline of the Lawsuit Against Todd Creek Farms HOA
- 2019 , Jason Pardikes wins election as HOA board president.
- Late 2022 , Two board members resign and reappoint each other to swapped seats, extending Pardikes’s tenure without an election.
- 2023 , Homeowners file a derivative lawsuit against the HOA and board.
- Early 2024 , The court denies the HOA’s motions to dismiss.
- Mid-2025 , Legal costs climb past $800,000.
- July 15, 2025 , The HOA files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, freezing the state court case.
- Late 2025–2026 , The bankruptcy court weighs whether the filing qualifies as bad faith. A 2026 jury trial hangs in the balance.
How This Affects Current Residents
If you live in Todd Creek Farms, here’s the honest impact breakdown:
- Your wallet: Legal fees drain HOA common funds , funds that would otherwise flow back to residents through oil and gas royalties. The board It has also warned that legal proceedings could begin. Special assessments I’m running thousands dollars per household.
- Home value: Ongoing lawsuits and bankruptcy filings rarely help. A neighborhood’s reputation. Buyers are hesitant to transport around communities unresolved legal drama, Which can be flexible. Resale prices.
- Community trust: Numbers cannot fully capture this part. Neighbors have divided into camps, meetings have evolve strained, and trust is taking longer than expected. Any court ruling.
Thinking About Buying? What House-Hunters Should Know
If you’ve been eyeing the Todd Creek Farms homes for sale, don’t panic , but don’t skip your homework either.
The appeal remains real: big lots, horse property, a genuine country feel just outside Denver. What’s changed is that due diligence now needs an extra step. Before you make an offer:
- Request recent HOA meeting minutes.
- Ask directly about the bankruptcy status and any pending special assessments.
- Work with a real estate agent willing to discuss the ongoing litigation upfront.
Think of it like buying a used car with a known mechanical issue , it might still run great, but you want the full inspection report before you sign.
FAQs
Is the lawsuit against Todd Creek Farms HOA still active? Technically, yes. No court has dismissed or settled it , it’s paused under the bankruptcy’s automatic stay while a federal judge decides whether the Chapter 11 filing was legitimate.
Why did homeowners sue the Todd Creek Farms HOA? They allege the board violated its bylaws through a board-term “swap,” blocked access to financial records, and awarded a landscaping contract to a company with an undisclosed tie to the board president.
Has anyone won the case? No. The lawsuit hasn’t reached trial, and the bankruptcy court hasn’t ruled on the legitimacy of the Chapter 11 filing.
Could this affect HOA dues for current residents? Possibly. The board has said continued legal costs could lead to special assessments, and oil and gas royalty payments that would normally reach homeowners have instead funded legal fees.
Is it still worth buying one of the Todd Creek Farms homes for sale? Plenty of people still love living there, and the community’s core appeal , space, affordability, a country feel near Denver , hasn’t changed. Just go in with eyes open: ask about the litigation and bankruptcy status before you make an offer.
Key Takings
- Most HOA disputes The end the same boring way: angry meeting, a few Strongly worded emails all go back to pruning. The lawn.
- Todd Creek Farms broke this pattern. A fight over a landscaping invoice I somehow grew federal bankruptcy court, And before the middle of 2026, no one knows how it will end.
- The takeaway For homeowners everywhere: HOAs hold on real power, But that power Comes with real limits.
- Boards Must follow their own bylaws, keep honest books, And reveal conflicts of interest.
- When they don’t, homeowners have a legal path to push back , even if, as this case shows, that path can run long, expensive, and genuinely strange.
Additional Resources
- CBS Colorado , “HOA in rural Colorado community files for bankruptcy amid ongoing lawsuit from homeowners” , solid on-the-ground reporting with homeowner interviews.
- BusinessDen , “HOA goes bankrupt to ‘stop the financial drain’ of homeowners’ lawsuit” , the outlet that first broke the bankruptcy filing, with strong financial detail.











