William Hale Barrett
Judge Barrett no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Barrett decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Required a claimant seeking a preferential recovery from an insolvent bank to prove every necessary tracing element, treating uncertainty as fatal.
“The burden is on claimant to prove the elements essential to the establishment of his claim. Uncertainty results in denial.”
Returned rents to the secured creditor when later events showed that retaining the property for general creditors had produced no equity for the estate.
“Subsequent developments proved that Garity was entitled to the property at that time, and the general creditors should not be the beneficiaries of rents that ought to have gone to Garity.”
Procedural preferences
Required a pleading to identify the conduct supporting a charge that a seaman was improperly directed into a dangerous place, while allowing a short amendment period.
“Opportunity will be afforded libelant for á period of ten days from this date to file appropriate amendments in compliance with this judgment.”
Treated a Jones Act venue provision as governing the place of suit even when the seaman proceeded on the admiralty side.
“The inevitable result is that the motion to quash must be sustained.”
Cautions
Denied a bank-preference claim where ordinary-course deposits prevented overdrafts but did not augment the receivership estate through the specific transaction.
“There must be augmentation of the fund of which it is claimed that the money in question is a part by reason of the identical transaction upon which the claim is based”
Found no infringement where the accused product's physical construction materially differed from the patented integrated design.
“The tanks being constructed by the Steel Products Company do not infringe upon either of the aforesaid patents.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“It is therefore ordered that the petition for discharge as against creditors existing at the time of the filing of the first petition is denied, but as against creditors created since the filing of the first petition it is granted.”
“Garity is entitled to have the $519 net rent applied to the payment of the taxes, water rent, insurance premium, and the balance to him.”
“The action and judgment of the referee in declining the motion to dismiss are hereby ratified and confirmed.”
“The motion to dismiss in the above case is sustained on each ground thereof.”
“The inevitable result is that the motion to quash must be sustained.”
“The order of the referee is therefore set aside.”
“The necessary result of the application of the foregoing conclusions of law- to the findings of fact is a decree adverse to claimant.”
“Let a decree be entered for $6,062.18, with interest at 7 per cent, per annum from October 10, 1919.”
“the award in his favor is fixed at $100.”
“no award is rendered in their favor.”
“The petition will therefore be dismissed, without any deprivation, however, of the right of the petitioner to file her petition, in which can be alleged her marriage to a man who has already been naturalized.”
“The motion to vacate the order of dismissal and to reinstate the ease is therefore overruled.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
The reviewed decisions predate electronic case-level dockets. The profile therefore makes no claim about complete caseload mix, case duration, administrative dispositions, or motion timing.
A historical record
Judge Barrett no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.