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.
Sherrill is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. The population was 186 at the 2000 census. The city was named for two brothers, Adam and Isaac Sherrill, and was originally called Sherrill's Mound or Mount, since the city is sited at the base of a prominent hill. In 1856, Peter Fries, an Austrian immigrant, built a large, stone inn at the main crossroads of the city. It was popular with newlyweds, and Jesse James and his gang were reported to have stayed there prior to their famous raid on Northfield, Minnesota. The structure has survived and has been restored as a country inn. Sherrill and the surrounding rural district received large numbers of German immigrants in the 19th century. German Catholic, German Lutheran (St. Matthew), German Methodist, and German Evangelical churches were founded and remain active. Sherrill was one of ten "Beer Towns" incorporated in Dubuque County in 1933, to ensure that the city's taverns could serve beer, under a possibly mistaken interpretation of Iowa law that licenses to dispense beer could only be granted to premises inside incorporated places. Sherrill's post office was established in 1858, with Peter Fries as postmaster. Its Zip Code is 52073.