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.
Leopold is an unincorporated community in eastern Bollinger County in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located four miles east on Highway N about seven miles southeast of Marble Hill. The community consists of roughly 65 residents and has one of the smallest public high schools in the state of Missouri. Heavily Roman Catholic and of Dutch-German descent, the community is one of the most affluent in Southeast Missouri. Leopold is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is well known for its annual Leopold Picnic and its public school which excels in both academics and athletics.