A Second Circuit panel ruled Wednesday that General Motors did not admit liability for a wrongful death claim stemming from its faulty ignition switch crisis when it accidentally cited language from a decade-old contract dating back to its 2009 bankruptcy.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said GM’s “mistaken” citation from the outdated sales agreement did not qualify as a binding concession, and joined other circuit courts in holding that such a “judicial admission” would require a formal statement that is “intentional, clear and unambiguous.”