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.
Menomonie is a city in and the county seat of Dunn County in the western part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city's population was 14,937 as of the 2000 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Menomonie. Together with surrounding communities, the Menomonie micropolitan area was home to 21,900 people as of 2000. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Menomonie Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Dunn County . The Menomonie mSA, together with the Eau Claire metropolitan area to the east, forms the Census Bureau's Eau Claire-Menomonie Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city center is located at the south end of Lake Menomin, a reservoir on the Red Cedar River.