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.
Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,123 at the 2000 census. At 37 square miles (96 km²), it is about 60 percent larger in area than Manhattan, with about 1/150 the population. The southern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Tahlequah Ferry Terminal, connected to the Point Defiance neighborhood of Tacoma by a Washington State Ferries run. The northern terminus of the Vashon Highway is the Heights Dock at Point Vashon, which services the state ferry docks at Southworth, Fauntleroy in West Seattle, and Downtown Seattle. There are no bridges to connect the island with the mainland, a big factor contributing to the island's relative isolation and rural character. The island was named on May 28, 1792, by the explorer George Vancouver after his friend James Vashon of the Royal Navy. At that time, Vashon Island was separate from the neighbouring Maury Island, but today the hamlet of Portage sits on an isthmus built by the U. S Army Corps of Engineers that connects the two. Based on per capita income, Vashon ranks 32nd of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.