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.
Sugarloaf is a unincorporated residential area less than a mile south of Big Bear City and 8 miles from the eastern tip of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California. The area is primarily residential with a convenience store and a bar located at the center of the community. The residential area is set at an elevation of 7,096 feet at its center, whereas its extreme northern border is 6,998 feet above sea level and the southern tip sits at 7,218 feet above sea level. There is no municipal organization for the area, and all fire, water, and police service is provided by San Bernardino County. The ZIP code for the community is 92386, the area code 909, and the population is 1,816. Big Bear High School is located in the northern part of the community. The name of the town is taken from the nearby mountain, Sugarloaf. The mountain is so called because it appeared to some to bear a resemblance to a sugarloaf. (In settlement days sugar was sold in pieces of a loaf.)