Barratry (common law)

Barratry (/ˈbærətri/ BA-rə-tree) 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.[1] 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.

International variations

Australia

In Australia, the term barratry is predominantly used in the first sense of a frivolous or harassing litigant. The concept has fallen into disuse in Australia.[2]

England and Wales

In England and Wales the common law offence of being a common barrator was abolished by section 13(1)(a) of the Criminal Law Act 1967.

History

Being a common barrator was an offence under the common law of England. It was classified as a misdemeanor. It consisted of "persistently stirring up quarrels in the Courts or out of them". It is uncertain whether, in the ordinary way, persons charged with commission of the offence were dealt with by indictment.[3]

In 1966, the Law Commission recommended for the offence to be abolished.[4] It said that there had been no indictments for this offence for "many years" and that, as an indictable misdemeanor, it was "wholly obsolete".[3] Its recommendation was implemented by the Criminal Law Act 1967.

United States

Several jurisdictions in the United States have declared barratry (in the sense of a frivolous or harassing litigant) to be a crime as part of their tort reform efforts. For example, in the U.S. states of California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, barratry is a misdemeanor.[5][6] In Texas, barratry is a misdemeanor on the first conviction, but a felony on subsequent convictions.[7]

Other

In his Inferno, Canto XXI, Dante places barrators in the Eighth Circle, fifth bolgia of Hell.[9]

See also

References

  1. Barratry at freedictionary.com
  2. Discussion Paper 36 (1994) - Barratry, Maintenance and Champerty. Law Reform Commission, New South Wales. Accessed August 12, 2009.
  3. 1 2 The Law Commission, Proposals to Abolish Certain Ancient Criminal Offences (Law Com 3), paragraph 2
  4. The Law Commission, Proposals to Abolish Certain Ancient Criminal Offences (Law Com 3), paragraphs 7 and 8
  5. People v. Sanford, 202 Cal. App. 3d Supp. 1 (1988); 18 Pa.C.S. 5109.
  6. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 550-551.
  7. Texas Penal Code section 38.12
  8. RCW 9.12.010 Barratry, Revised Code of Washington. Accessed 2012-3-3.
  9. "9 Circles of Hell (Dante's Inferno) - History Lists". historylists.org. Retrieved 2015-06-15.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Barratry.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.