Now firms are spending similarly eye-popping sums to comply with or battle against the rules emerging from the law.
Insurers fought a long battle against the rules, but were finally defeated by the European Court of Justice in March 2011 which gave them until 21 December to bring in unisex rates.
The battle over the rules that determine the reach of the nation's largest media conglomerates moves early next year to a court that has already indicated that it is skeptical of further deregulation of the industry.
The trench fighting at the state level is the latest phase in a battle over the rules for adding competition to the biotechnology drug market as called for in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Corbyn's supporters and opponents are locked in a fierce battle about the rules of the leadership race after Eagle, a former shadow business secretary, announced she had gathered enough signatures from Labour parliamentarians to launch a challenge.
Most of the uprisings have devolved into bitter struggles, as a mix of political powers battle over the rules of participation, the relationship between the military and the government, the role of religion in public life and what it means to be a citizen, not a subject.
And what was already shaping up as a rancorous lobbying battle over the rules is likely to become more contentious when Republicans take control of the House, having been swept to power on a pledge to influence health care and financial regulation.
Jeremy Corbyn has consolidated his grip on the Labour party after he won the first round of the latest high court battle over the rules of the leadership contest – and his supporters swept the board in elections to the party's ruling National Executive Committee.
The timber industry, off-road vehicle users and other commercial and political interests have long battled the rule, which will establish essential protections for the forests and the clean water, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities they provide.
McDonnell's intervention highlights the bitter nature of the party's leadership contest, which has already been marred by a series of court battles over the rules.
