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.
Eureka is a city in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,871 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Woodford County. The city was founded in the year 1855. Eureka is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Eureka is a small community centered around the intersection of what is now U.S. 24 and Illinois 117. It is also one of the towns along the Ronald Reagan Trail, a series of roads that connect towns in northern Illinois that were of importance to Reagan's early life. It is known for being the location of Eureka College, a private college associated with the Christian Church and the alma mater of former president Ronald Reagan. Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932. Eureka styled itself the "pumpkin capital of the world" until its pumpkin-processing plant moved to nearby Morton, Illinois.