In October 1995, two environmental groups filed suit in California against four refrigerator manufacturers for what the groups said was misleading advertising about ozone-depleting chemicals. The plaintiffs, the Washington-based Ozone Action and the Oakland-based Environmental Law Foundation, said that by describing their refrigerators as CFC-free, Amana, General Electric, Sears, Roebuck and Whirlpool were implying falsely that the machines are also ozone-safe. The ads and labeling failed to say that the appliances' insulation contains a chemical called HCFC that is harmful to the ozone layer--though less harmful and not affected by the January 1, 1996 ban. In December the manufacturers settled the suit by agreeing to clarify HCFC's effects.