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.
Mountain Center is an unincorporated community in west central Riverside County, California. It lies along State Route 74 in the southern division of San Bernardino National Forest, just north of Lake Hemet. Mountain Center lies midway between Hemet and Palm Desert, and it is southeast of the city of Riverside, the county seat of Riverside County. Its elevation is 4,518 feet (1,377 m), and it is located at 33°42′15″N 116°43′33″W / 33.70417°N 116.72583°W / 33.70417; -116.72583 (33.7041889, -116.7258522). Although Mountain Center is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 92561. According to the 2000 Census, Mountain Center had a population in 2000 of 1,495. The community is 85.2 per cent white, 11.5 per cent Hispanic, 5.4 per cent American Indian, and 0.9 per cent Asian. Non-Hispanic whites represent 82.2 per cent of the population