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.
Augusta is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 218 at the 2000 census. The town boasts wineries, antique shops, retaurants, B&B's, a wood shop, a glass studio, massage therapy, and The Augusta Brewery. Most notably, the Town of Augusta is home to two wineries, Augusta Winery and Mount Pleasant Winery, along with Balducci Winery and Montelle Winery (also in the Augusta zip code) and other wineries nearby. The Augusta area was recognized by the federal government in 1980 as the first designated American Viticultural Area in the United States, beating out Napa Valley. The concentration of wineries along SH 94 has led to the road's being called the Missouri Weinstrasse (wine road). The larger region on both sides of the river nearly to Jefferson City is called the Missouri Rhineland. Augusta is a popular stop along the Katy Trail, a 225-mile-long bike and walking path built along a former railroad right-of-way.