Sentence:  "Because the statute is so vaguely worded, award decisions are habitually based on case law, the growing mountain of which is a <WSD>hydra</WSD> of rulings that point in so many directions that almost any decision can be defended or overturned on appeal, depending on how smart your lawyer is and which precedent he selects to argue your case." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A complex, multifarious problem or situation that cannot be solved easily and rapidly.