Architects have something new to worry about. The California Supreme Court ruled that two large firms, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and HKS Architects, could be forced to pay damages to an association of condominium owners who claimed their apartments were too hot—years after the developer rejected the architects’ recommendation to use low-E glass.

The case has yet to go to trial, but the decision may open the door to lawsuits by property owners who are unhappy about design decisions made at the request of previous owners. The case was considered so important that the American Institute of Architects California Council (AIACC) filed an amicus brief on the side of SOM and HKS, with support from the AIA in Washington, D.C. And while the ruling applies only in California, that state’s supreme court influences judges in other states.