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.
Peosta is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and an exurb of the city of Dubuque. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 651 at the 2000 census, but in 2007 its population was estimated to be 1,129. Peosta is the seventh-largest city in Dubuque County, but it will likely soon pass Farley, and Epworth to become the fifth-largest. The community is home to a large industrial park, the largest campus of Northeast Iowa Community College, and a handful of new commercial businesses. However, the city is increasingly becoming a bedroom community, much like nearby Asbury, made up of spacious new subdivisions. Peosta has experienced a 72.6% increase in population from 2000 to 2007, making it the state's 6th-fastest growing city (with 1,000 people or more) during that period.