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.
Patton is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Altoona, in an agricultural region. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1900, 2,651 people stayed here, and in 1910, 3,907 people inhabited Patton. The population was 2,023 at the 2000 census. Patton is perhaps best known for an important local manufacturer, the Patton Clay Works. The Clay Works were one of the largest clay and brick concerns in the world in the first half of the 1900s. The company manufactured terra cotta products (pipe and tiles), building bricks, and pavers (known as "Patton Pavers"). Bricks made there were used in the construction of the Panama Canal and the pavers were used around the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. The products were made from clay excavated from the area.