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.
Stone Harbor is a borough in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. It shares the barrier island, Seven Mile Island with its northern neighbor Avalon. Development began in the late 19th century as a beach resort along a railroad line which has since been replaced by a traffic island along the length of Second Avenue. It continues as a resort community for visitors enjoying beaches and a thriving commercial center centered along 96th Street and 2nd Avenue, bringing in a summer population in excess of 20,000. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a year-round population of 1,128. In 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Stone Harbor (08247) as #47 on its list of the most expensive zip codes in the United States, based on median home sale prices. As of 2001, Worth Magazine put Stone Harbor at #101 on its list of the Richest Towns in America, which was based on median annual real estate prices. Most vacationers come from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, and Quebec. It was ranked the tenth best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Stone Harbor was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 3, 1914, from portions of Middle Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 28, 1914. The borough gained a portion of Avalon on December 27, 1941.