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.
Lake Elmo is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,863 at the 2000 census and is now estaimated at approximately 8,300, as of December 2009. Much of the area within the city limits is still farmland, so that the city has a very rural feel to it. However, the city density is likely to increase substantially over the next 15 years, due to a new city plan ordered following loss of a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning authority.