The Bermuda Government’s Massachusetts lawsuit against Lahey Clinic has included a cost of $426,000 thus far to the legal firm Cooley LLC.

Cabinet approved the awarding of the contract around April 26, 2016, according to Trevor Moniz, the Attorney-General.

The wide-ranging civil suit includes claims by the Government that Lahey colluded with former premier Ewart Brown to unlawfully obtain medical business in Bermuda. Bringing details to Parliament in response to Opposition questions, Mr Moniz told MPs that the Cooley contract had not been put out to tender. Cooley’s rates range from $200 an hour for paralegals up to $750, for what the Attorney-General described as “very reasonable” for a firm of Cooley’s standing.

Details were unavailable for Cooley’s media relations firm — but Mr Moniz said he believed its charge to be $300 per hour.