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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Barratry

Barratry \Bar"ra*try\, n. [Cf. F. baraterie, LL. barataria. See Barrator, and cf. Bartery.]

  1. (Law) The practice of exciting and encouraging lawsuits and quarrels. [Also spelt barretry.]
    --Coke. Blackstone.

  2. (Mar. Law) A fraudulent breach of duty or willful act of known illegality on the part of a master of a ship, in his character of master, or of the mariners, to the injury of the owner of the ship or cargo, and without his consent. It includes every breach of trust committed with dishonest purpose, as by running away with the ship, sinking or deserting her, etc., or by embezzling the cargo.
    --Kent.
    --Park.

  3. (Scots Law) The crime of a judge who is influenced by bribery in pronouncing judgment.
    --Wharton.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
barratry

early 15c., "sale of ecclesiastical or state offices," from Old French baraterie "deceit, guile, trickery," from barat "malpractice, fraud, deceit, trickery," which is of unknown origin, perhaps from Celtic. In marine law, "wrongful conduct by a ship's crew or officer, resulting in loss to owners," from 1620s. Meaning "offense of habitually starting legal suits" is from 1640s. Sense somewhat confused with that of Middle English baratri "combat, fighting" (c.1400), from Old Norse baratta "fight, contest strife." This was an active word in Middle English, with forms such as baraten "to disturb the peace" (mid-15c.); baratour "inciter to riot, bully" (late 14c., mid-13c. as a surname). Barataria Bay, Louisiana, U.S., is from Spanish baratear "to cheat, deceive," cognate of the French word; the bay so called in reference to the difficulty of its entry passages.

Wiktionary
barratry

n. 1 the act of persistently instigate lawsuits, often groundless ones 2 the sale and/or purchase of political positions of power 3 (context admiralty legal English) unlawful or fraudulent acts by the crew of a vessel, harming the vessel's owner.

Wikipedia
Barratry (common law)

Barratry is a legal term with several meanings. In common law, barratry is the offense committed by people who are "overly officious in instigating or encouraging prosecution of groundless litigation" or who bring "repeated or persistent acts of litigation" for the purposes of profit or harassment. It is a crime in some jurisdictions. If litigation is for the purpose of silencing critics, it is known as a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP). Jurisdictions that otherwise have no barratry laws may have SLAPP laws.

Barratry (admiralty law)

In admiralty law, barratry is an act of gross misconduct committed by a master or crew of a vessel which damages the vessel or its cargo. These activities may include desertion, illegal scuttling, theft of the ship or cargo, and committing any actions which may not be in the shipowner's best interests.

Barratry

Barratry is a legal term with several meanings. it can refer to:

  • Barratry (common law), litigation for the purpose of harassment or profit
  • Ambulance chasing, when a lawyer seeks clients at a disaster site
  • Barratry (admiralty law), misconduct by crew of a ship resulting in its damage
  • Barratry also refers to the secular version of Simony

Usage examples of "barratry".

Buried deep in the anthracite core of my being is a personal trait so hideous, so confounding, a conceit so terrible in its repercussions, that it makes sodomy, pederasty, and barratry on the high seas seem as tame as a Frances Parkinson Keyes novel.

Losian of every crime from barratry to mopery and dopery in the spaceways.

But Captain Krausa listened quietly, then answered with real poetryhe accused the Losian of every crime from barratry to mopery and dopery in the spaceways.

Murder most foul, alarums and excursions, theft, buggery, barratry, incomplete perfusion!

He charged malfeasance, he charged treason, murder, blackmail, piracy, simony, forgery, kidnapping, barratry, attempted rape, mental cruelty, indecent exposure, and subornation of perjury.

Computer malfeasance, memory bank barratry, CPU violation, terminal treachery, dropping solder on classified documents-it was terrible.

If Brennan tried to repeat this program, James Holden was very apt to suggest either the rather rare case of Barratry or Maintenance against Brennan.

It was barratry, an insurance swindle, and would have succeeded but for the storm.

Her father was a Dutchman who had lived adventurously in and about the South Seas, indulging in barratry and piracy, and dying at last on the gibbet for murder.

When arrangements for a bit of barratry of this kind are gone about nowadays, they are performed with shrewdness.

Murgatroyd, the mate, was the only man on board in whose honesty Kettle had the least faith, simply because he considered him too stupid to be intrusted with any operation so delicate as barratry, and to Murgatroyd he more or less confided his intentions.

By the time Sir Thomas More wrote his biography of Richard, in the reign of Henry the Eighth, Richard was being accused of everything but barratry and arson.

This entrepreneur of iniquity, unsatisfied with his endless violations in personam of the civil liberties of our sovereign people, did knowingly and with malice pro pense operate his loathesome trade in barratry.

He charged malfeasance, he charged treason, murder, blackmail, piracy, simony, forgery, kidnapping, barratry, attempted rape, mental cruelty, indecent exposure, and subornation of perjury.