Barratry

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 prosection 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. Litigation for the purpose of profit is referred to as “Ambulance chasing”: If for the purpose of harassment, for example to silence critics, it is known as a Strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP). Many jurisdiction that otherwise have no barratry laws do have SLAPP laws.