An $11.3 billion settlement agreement from 1997 between Florida government and a group of tobacco companies was in the spotlight Tuesday when the Fourth District Court of Appeal considered whether R.J. Reynolds should continue paying millions of dollars a year for cigarette brands it no longer owns.

It’s a case that demonstrates how the wording of an old contract — even if it is one of the largest court-approved settlements in U.S. history — can later come back to haunt its parties.