Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals and/or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim. For instance, if a car crash victim claims damages against the driver for loss or injury sustained in an accident, this will be a civil law case. Civil law courts provide a forum for deciding disputes involving torts (such as accidents, negligence, and libel), contract disputes, the probate of wills, trusts, property disputes, administrative law, commercial law, and any other private matters that involve private parties or organizations including government departments. The objectives of civil law are different from other types of law. In civil law there is the attempt to right a wrong, honor an agreement, or settle a dispute. If there is a victim, they get compensation, and the person who is the cause of the wrong pays, this being a civilized form of, or legal alternative to, revenge.
Fredonia is a town in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 1,051. It was settled in 1885 by Mormon pioneers from Kanab, Utah. The word "Fredonia" was coined by Samuel Latham Mitchill, combining "freedom" with a Latin ending. Mitchill proposed the name as a replacement for the United States. It failed in that regard but was adopted as the name of many towns and cities. According to George R. Stewart, the meaning of the Arizona town of Fredonia is sometimes said, falsely, to be the joining of English "free" and Spanish "doña", thus meaning "free woman", supposedly referring to polygamous Mormons (Stewart, pg. 173).