Halifax Health--a Florida hospital system enmeshed in a high-profile whistleblower lawsuit--has spent $22.8 million in legal fees to defend itself through lawyers charging up to $935 an hour, The Daytona Beach News Journal reported. Halifax stands accused of contracting illegally with nine doctors and overbilling Medicare. Potential damages in this case were once estimated to top $1 billion. The lion's share of Halifax's defense dollars went to McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, a Chicago-based legal practice considered one of the top healthcare law firms nationwide, the article noted. "With careful consideration of the potential penalties the hospital could face, we assembled law firms that had thorough understanding and experience with these particular highly complex healthcare laws," hospital spokesman John Guthrie told the News Journal. Article