1. the practice of persistently bringing lawsuits, especially frivolous ones
Usage: legal
2. fraud or gross negligence by a ship’s master or crew that causes loss to the ship’s owner
Usage: maritime law

Examples

• The attorney was accused of barratry for filing numerous baseless lawsuits.
• State laws prohibit barratry to prevent abuse of the legal system.
• The insurance company refused to pay the claim, citing barratry by the ship’s captain.
• Maritime barratry can include deliberately running a ship aground.
• The lawyer’s license was suspended due to repeated acts of barratry.
• Barratry laws vary from state to state in their specific definitions.
• The crew’s barratry resulted in significant financial losses for the shipping company.