Barratry

Barratry is a term in law for vexatious litigation, often without sufficient grounds, and chiefly to cause annoyance to the defendant, or incitement to it.

It also denoted the offence of inciting and stirring up riots and quarrels among the Queen's (British or commonwealth) subjects. A fraud by a ship captain on the owners of a ship, is also called barratry. However, its use in the sense of fraud or gross negligence of a ship's master or crew at the expense of its owners or users, is now considered archaic. Trade in sales of church, and also in state appointments, was once prevalent is some part of the world which was called barratry, but it is now a part of history.