Noun: barratry ber-ut-ree [N. Amer], ba-rut-ree [Brit]
- (law) the offence of vexatiously persisting in inciting lawsuits and quarrels
"The lawyer was disbarred for barratry after repeatedly filing frivolous lawsuits"
- (maritime law) a fraudulent breach of duty by the master of a ship that injures the owner of the ship or its cargo; includes every breach of trust such as stealing or sinking or deserting the ship or embezzling the cargo
"The captain was charged with barratry after intentionally running the ship aground to collect insurance"
- The crime of a judge whose judgment is influenced by bribery
"The judge was impeached for barratry after accepting payments from a defendant"
- Traffic in ecclesiastical offices or preferments
"The medieval church was plagued by accusations of barratry";
- simony
Derived forms: barratries
Type of: bribery, crime, criminal offence [Brit, Cdn], criminal offense [US], fiddle [Brit, informal], fraud, graft, law-breaking, palm-greasing [informal], traffic
Encyclopedia: Barratry