LOS ANGELES, CA-Defendants in the securities class action suit include Alan Casden, one of the region's largest developers of apartments. The defendants are expected to appeal the decision, which was rendered by a federal jury in Los Angeles.

MIAMI-The sign manufacturer sold a 12,800-sf building for $650,000 and bought a 38,500-sf building for $1.65 million to create additional space for operations after winning a contract to change over signs in Florida from First Union to Wachovia.

FAIRFAX, VA-The AMS Building--the 264,000-sf, class A office structure at 12601 Fair Lakes Circle--gets a new owner with Prentiss Properties Trust's $55-million purchase of the property from Gilbane Building Co. American Management Services has a lease on the entire building through 2011.

HOUSTON-The retail market is holding its breath, hoping that the nearly $350 million invested into several upscale projects will pay off this holiday season. "The big story is the buoyancy of the market," says O'Connor & Associates director of research Richard Zigler.