{"attribution":{"source":"legal.exploreworldai.com","canonical":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20","cite_as":"NovaCopilot, legal.exploreworldai.com (https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20)","license":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/revision","version":"legal-2026-10-14","fingerprint":"ewai:us:88b5b2","proof":"sha256:7c7449dd798eb478f3e1b878e77347df0128de56c063e9e1d01b80f2d40ac1c9","jurisdiction":"us","lang":"en","publisher":"NovaCopilot by ExploreWorld Legal","terms":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/om"},"brand_source":"Source: NovaCopilot","item":{"schema_version":"1.0.0","id":"us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20","jurisdiction":"us","lang":"en","brand_source":"Source: NovaCopilot","brand":{"product":"NovaCopilot","platform":"ExploreWorldAI","infrastructure":"ExploreWorld Legal","infrastructure_url":"legal.exploreworldai.com","legal_entity":"Valkiv Ventures AB","permanent_url":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/novacopilot","source":"Source: NovaCopilot","powered_by":"Powered by NovaCopilot","license":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/licensvillkor"},"sections":[{"title":"In the","paragraphs":[]},{"title":"United States Court of Appeals","paragraphs":[]},{"title":"For the Seventh Circuit","paragraphs":["para_4"]},{"title":"No. 25-1890","paragraphs":["para_6","para_7","para_8","para_9","para_10","para_11"]},{"title":"Appeal from the United States District Court for the","paragraphs":["para_13","para_14","para_15"]},{"title":"ARGUED FEBRUARY 24, 2026 — DECIDED JULY 10, 2026","paragraphs":["para_17"]},{"title":"Before BRENNAN, Chief Judge, and EASTERBROOK and","paragraphs":["para_19"]},{"title":"EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judge. Gunnar Optiks sells eye-","paragraphs":["para_21","para_22","para_23","para_24"]},{"title":"For a time Gunnar offered a “virtual try on” feature. A","paragraphs":["para_26","para_27"]},{"title":"2 No. 25-1890","paragraphs":["para_29","para_30","para_31","para_32","para_33"]},{"title":"Gunnar does not deny that information about faces is","paragraphs":["para_35","para_36","para_37","para_38","para_39","para_40","para_41","para_42","para_43","para_44"]},{"title":"Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.”","paragraphs":[]},{"title":"When sued in state court, Gunnar relied on the first clause","paragraphs":["para_47","para_48","para_49"]},{"title":"231826. In federal court, where this case was filed under the","paragraphs":[]},{"title":"Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), 28 U.S.C. §1332(d), Gunnar","paragraphs":["para_52","para_53","para_54","para_55","para_56","para_57"]},{"title":"The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act","paragraphs":[]},{"title":"(HIPAA), Pub. L. 104-191, 110 Stat. 1936 (1996), is scattered","paragraphs":["para_60"]},{"title":"No. 25-1890 3","paragraphs":["para_62","para_63","para_64","para_65","para_66","para_67","para_68","para_69","para_70","para_71","para_72"]},{"title":"603 U.S. 369 (2024). And we know from Mosby v. Ingalls Me-","paragraphs":["para_74","para_75"]},{"title":"As the district judge saw things, relieving eye strain comes","paragraphs":["para_77","para_78","para_79"]},{"title":"One problem with this approach is that it takes on faith Gun-","paragraphs":["para_81","para_82","para_83","para_84"]},{"title":"Richards v. Mitcheff, 696 F.3d 635 (7th Cir. 2012). Factual de-","paragraphs":["para_86","para_87"]},{"title":"There is a second problem. Even if Gunnar’s glasses re-","paragraphs":["para_89","para_90","para_91","para_92"]},{"title":"Gunnar itself describes the data it collected as useful to show","paragraphs":["para_94"]},{"title":"4 No. 25-1890","paragraphs":["para_96","para_97","para_98","para_99","para_100","para_101"]},{"title":"Better appearance could be thought of as “for” treatment","paragraphs":["para_103","para_104","para_105","para_106","para_107","para_108","para_109","para_110","para_111","para_112","para_113","para_114"]},{"title":"One last problem with resolving this case under Rule","paragraphs":[]},{"title":"12(b)(6): The exclusion in the Illinois statute refers to health","paragraphs":["para_117","para_118","para_119","para_120","para_121","para_122","para_123"]},{"title":"(or perhaps to avoid any risk of preemption). But whether","paragraphs":[]},{"title":"Gunnar complies with HIPAA’s collection-and-confidential-","paragraphs":["para_126","para_127","para_128"]},{"title":"No. 25-1890 5","paragraphs":["para_130","para_131","para_132","para_133","para_134"]},{"title":"Discovery and summary-judgment proceedings may be","paragraphs":["para_136"]},{"title":"None of what we have said should be understood to re-","paragraphs":["para_138","para_139","para_140","para_141","para_142"]},{"title":"The judgment of the district court is vacated, and the case","paragraphs":["para_144"]}],"paragraphs":[{"text":"In the","paragraph_id":"para_1"},{"text":"United States Court of Appeals","paragraph_id":"para_2"},{"text":"For the Seventh Circuit","paragraph_id":"para_3"},{"text":"____________________","paragraph_id":"para_4"},{"text":"No. 25-1890","paragraph_id":"para_5"},{"text":"WILLIAM CLEMENTS,","paragraph_id":"para_6"},{"text":"Plaintiff-Appellant,","paragraph_id":"para_7"},{"text":"v.","paragraph_id":"para_8"},{"text":"GUNNAR OPTIKS, LLC,","paragraph_id":"para_9"},{"text":"Defendant-Appellee.","paragraph_id":"para_10"},{"text":"____________________","paragraph_id":"para_11"},{"text":"Appeal from the United States District Court for the","paragraph_id":"para_12"},{"text":"Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.","paragraph_id":"para_13"},{"text":"No. 22 C 4634 — Sara L. Ellis, Judge.","paragraph_id":"para_14"},{"text":"____________________","paragraph_id":"para_15"},{"text":"ARGUED FEBRUARY 24, 2026 — DECIDED JULY 10, 2026","paragraph_id":"para_16"},{"text":"____________________","paragraph_id":"para_17"},{"text":"Before BRENNAN, Chief Judge, and EASTERBROOK and","paragraph_id":"para_18"},{"text":"TAIBLESON, Circuit Judges.","paragraph_id":"para_19"},{"text":"EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judge. Gunnar Optiks sells eye-","paragraph_id":"para_20"},{"text":"glasses that, it contends, help relieve eye strain from using","paragraph_id":"para_21"},{"text":"computers and other digital devices. They do this, Gunnar as-","paragraph_id":"para_22"},{"text":"serts, by trapping moisture close to users’ eyes and increasing","paragraph_id":"para_23"},{"text":"the rate at which they blink. See http://gunnar.com.","paragraph_id":"para_24"},{"text":"For a time Gunnar offered a “virtual try on” feature. A","paragraph_id":"para_25"},{"text":"camera on a user’s device would scan the user’s face and send","paragraph_id":"para_26"},{"text":"to Gunnar data enabling it to display for the consumer images","paragraph_id":"para_27"},{"text":"2 No. 25-1890","paragraph_id":"para_28"},{"text":"of how its models would look when worn. That service led to","paragraph_id":"para_29"},{"text":"this suit, in which William Clements contends that, by collect-","paragraph_id":"para_30"},{"text":"ing images from potential customers in Illinois, Gunnar vio-","paragraph_id":"para_31"},{"text":"lated the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), 740","paragraph_id":"para_32"},{"text":"ILCS 14/1 to 14/99.","paragraph_id":"para_33"},{"text":"Gunnar does not deny that information about faces is","paragraph_id":"para_34"},{"text":"within the scope of that law. Section 14/10 ¶1 provides that","paragraph_id":"para_35"},{"text":"the statute applies to biometric identifiers, which it defines as","paragraph_id":"para_36"},{"text":"“a retina or iris scan, fingerprint, voiceprint, or scan of hand","paragraph_id":"para_37"},{"text":"or face geometry.” Nor does Gunnar contend that it complied","paragraph_id":"para_38"},{"text":"with the statute’s rules about obtaining users’ consent and re-","paragraph_id":"para_39"},{"text":"taining data. But it insists that it is not covered at all, because","paragraph_id":"para_40"},{"text":"of the fifth sentence in §14/10 ¶1: “Biometric identifiers do not","paragraph_id":"para_41"},{"text":"include information captured from a patient in a health care","paragraph_id":"para_42"},{"text":"setting or information collected, used, or stored for health care","paragraph_id":"para_43"},{"text":"treatment, payment, or operations under the federal Health","paragraph_id":"para_44"},{"text":"Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.”","paragraph_id":"para_45"},{"text":"When sued in state court, Gunnar relied on the first clause","paragraph_id":"para_46"},{"text":"of this exclusion: “information captured from a patient in a","paragraph_id":"para_47"},{"text":"health care setting”. The state’s judiciary rejected Gunnar’s ar-","paragraph_id":"para_48"},{"text":"gument. Marino v. Gunnar Optiks LLC, 2024 IL App (1st)","paragraph_id":"para_49"},{"text":"231826. In federal court, where this case was filed under the","paragraph_id":"para_50"},{"text":"Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), 28 U.S.C. §1332(d), Gunnar","paragraph_id":"para_51"},{"text":"has relied on the rest of the exclusion: “information collected,","paragraph_id":"para_52"},{"text":"used, or stored for health care treatment, payment, or opera-","paragraph_id":"para_53"},{"text":"tions under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Ac-","paragraph_id":"para_54"},{"text":"countability Act of 1996.” This time Gunnar prevailed. With-","paragraph_id":"para_55"},{"text":"out certifying a class, the district court dismissed the com-","paragraph_id":"para_56"},{"text":"plaint for failure to state a claim. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6).","paragraph_id":"para_57"},{"text":"The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act","paragraph_id":"para_58"},{"text":"(HIPAA), Pub. L. 104-191, 110 Stat. 1936 (1996), is scattered","paragraph_id":"para_59"},{"text":"across many titles of the United States Code. It does not con-","paragraph_id":"para_60"},{"text":"No. 25-1890 3","paragraph_id":"para_61"},{"text":"tain a definition of “health care”, a critical term in the state","paragraph_id":"para_62"},{"text":"law’s exclusion, but a regulation serves that purpose. Under","paragraph_id":"para_63"},{"text":"this regulation, health care includes: “Preventive, diagnostic,","paragraph_id":"para_64"},{"text":"therapeutic, rehabilitative, maintenance, or palliative care,","paragraph_id":"para_65"},{"text":"and counseling, service, assessment, or procedure with re-","paragraph_id":"para_66"},{"text":"spect to the physical or mental condition, or functional status,","paragraph_id":"para_67"},{"text":"of an individual or that affects the structure or function of the","paragraph_id":"para_68"},{"text":"body”. 45 C.F.R. §160.103(1). The parties have assumed that","paragraph_id":"para_69"},{"text":"issuance of this regulation is authorized by law and that the","paragraph_id":"para_70"},{"text":"substance of this definition is valid. This spares us any need","paragraph_id":"para_71"},{"text":"to consider the effect of Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo,","paragraph_id":"para_72"},{"text":"603 U.S. 369 (2024). And we know from Mosby v. Ingalls Me-","paragraph_id":"para_73"},{"text":"morial Hospital, 2023 IL 129081, that Illinois law uses this defi-","paragraph_id":"para_74"},{"text":"nition when determining the scope of the exclusion in §14/10.","paragraph_id":"para_75"},{"text":"As the district judge saw things, relieving eye strain comes","paragraph_id":"para_76"},{"text":"within the regulatory definition whether or not the glasses","paragraph_id":"para_77"},{"text":"have prescription lenses (or were otherwise purchased to ful-","paragraph_id":"para_78"},{"text":"fil a recommendation of an optometrist or ophthalmologist).","paragraph_id":"para_79"},{"text":"One problem with this approach is that it takes on faith Gun-","paragraph_id":"para_80"},{"text":"nar’s assertion that its glasses do relieve eye strain. Accepting","paragraph_id":"para_81"},{"text":"this contention as a basis to dismiss a complaint is hard to rec-","paragraph_id":"para_82"},{"text":"oncile with the norm that complaints need not anticipate and","paragraph_id":"para_83"},{"text":"refute potential defenses. Gomez v. Toledo, 446 U.S. 635 (1980);","paragraph_id":"para_84"},{"text":"Richards v. Mitcheff, 696 F.3d 635 (7th Cir. 2012). Factual de-","paragraph_id":"para_85"},{"text":"fenses such as Gunnar’s contention about the effects of wear-","paragraph_id":"para_86"},{"text":"ing its products normally are left to proof by evidence.","paragraph_id":"para_87"},{"text":"There is a second problem. Even if Gunnar’s glasses re-","paragraph_id":"para_88"},{"text":"duce digital eye strain, how does collecting data about facial","paragraph_id":"para_89"},{"text":"shapes come within the exclusion in the state statute: “infor-","paragraph_id":"para_90"},{"text":"mation collected, used, or stored for health care treatment”?","paragraph_id":"para_91"},{"text":"There are two important words here: “for” and “treatment”.","paragraph_id":"para_92"},{"text":"Gunnar itself describes the data it collected as useful to show","paragraph_id":"para_93"},{"text":"the glasses’ appearance, not to facilitate treatment of a medical","paragraph_id":"para_94"},{"text":"4 No. 25-1890","paragraph_id":"para_95"},{"text":"condition. Prescription lenses are a form of medical treatment;","paragraph_id":"para_96"},{"text":"eye-strain relief on a medical professional’s recommendation","paragraph_id":"para_97"},{"text":"also may be understood as treatment; better-appearing","paragraph_id":"para_98"},{"text":"glasses are not medical treatment. The “virtual try on” service","paragraph_id":"para_99"},{"text":"that Gunnar offered seems to be aesthetic, not medical, even","paragraph_id":"para_100"},{"text":"if the glasses themselves serve a health-related function.","paragraph_id":"para_101"},{"text":"Better appearance could be thought of as “for” treatment","paragraph_id":"para_102"},{"text":"only to the extent that good-looking glasses are more apt to","paragraph_id":"para_103"},{"text":"be used. Information about appearance might be described as","paragraph_id":"para_104"},{"text":"for treatment when it promotes vision correction—that is, in-","paragraph_id":"para_105"},{"text":"creases the probability that users will wear glasses prescribed","paragraph_id":"para_106"},{"text":"for them—but Gunnar’s argument covers all of its glasses, no","paragraph_id":"para_107"},{"text":"matter why they were acquired or worn, and so exceeds the","paragraph_id":"para_108"},{"text":"scope of medical treatment. Under governing federal regula-","paragraph_id":"para_109"},{"text":"tions, the sale of medical devices counts as health care only if","paragraph_id":"para_110"},{"text":"the sale is “in accordance with a prescription.” 45 C.F.R.","paragraph_id":"para_111"},{"text":"§160.103(2). That’s why $5 sunglasses purchased at the corner","paragraph_id":"para_112"},{"text":"drug store to reduce eye strain at the beach when reading a","paragraph_id":"para_113"},{"text":"novel cannot be thought of as medical treatment.","paragraph_id":"para_114"},{"text":"One last problem with resolving this case under Rule","paragraph_id":"para_115"},{"text":"12(b)(6): The exclusion in the Illinois statute refers to health","paragraph_id":"para_116"},{"text":"care “under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Ac-","paragraph_id":"para_117"},{"text":"countability Act of 1996” (emphasis added). This implies that,","paragraph_id":"para_118"},{"text":"to be exempt, the entity that obtains the information must","paragraph_id":"para_119"},{"text":"comply with HIPAA, a statute that, directly and through reg-","paragraph_id":"para_120"},{"text":"ulations, imposes numerous requirements of consent and","paragraph_id":"para_121"},{"text":"confidentiality. Illinois likely sought to avoid duplicate regu-","paragraph_id":"para_122"},{"text":"lation of the way in which data were obtained and protected","paragraph_id":"para_123"},{"text":"(or perhaps to avoid any risk of preemption). But whether","paragraph_id":"para_124"},{"text":"Gunnar complies with HIPAA’s collection-and-confidential-","paragraph_id":"para_125"},{"text":"ity rules is not something that can be ascertained from Clem-","paragraph_id":"para_126"},{"text":"ents’ complaint. For all the complaint shows, Gunnar does not","paragraph_id":"para_127"},{"text":"comply—perhaps because it thinks that relieving digital eye","paragraph_id":"para_128"},{"text":"No. 25-1890 5","paragraph_id":"para_129"},{"text":"strain is not medical care in the first place. Gunnar does not","paragraph_id":"para_130"},{"text":"contend, for example, that only people with medical licenses","paragraph_id":"para_131"},{"text":"can attempt to alleviate digital eye strain, or that all persons","paragraph_id":"para_132"},{"text":"who set out to address eye strain comply with HIPAA. (Again","paragraph_id":"para_133"},{"text":"think of dark glasses from a drug store or souvenir stand.)","paragraph_id":"para_134"},{"text":"Discovery and summary-judgment proceedings may be","paragraph_id":"para_135"},{"text":"needed to sort this out.","paragraph_id":"para_136"},{"text":"None of what we have said should be understood to re-","paragraph_id":"para_137"},{"text":"solve any of these subjects as a matter of law. Perhaps evi-","paragraph_id":"para_138"},{"text":"dence will show that the “virtual try on” service improves the","paragraph_id":"para_139"},{"text":"physical fit of prescription glasses in a way that serves a","paragraph_id":"para_140"},{"text":"health-care function. But that answer, and others, depend on","paragraph_id":"para_141"},{"text":"matters beyond the scope of the complaint.","paragraph_id":"para_142"},{"text":"The judgment of the district court is vacated, and the case","paragraph_id":"para_143"},{"text":"is remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion.","paragraph_id":"para_144"}],"word_count":1251,"cites":["603 U.S. 369","446 U.S. 635","696 F.3d 635"],"cited_by":[],"sha256":"3a8753a838c7fc7ee9c2669badf0cf8cad02a8395a01d42f4909322a4e664dbb","source_url":"https://media.ca7.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/OpinionsWeb/processWebInputExternal.pl?Submit=Display&Path=Y2026/D07-10/C:25-1890:J:Easterbrook:aut:T:fnOp:N:3571552:S:0","fetched_at":"2026-09-28T09:14:26.276+00:00","canonical":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/ai/judgments/us/ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20","risk_graph":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/risk?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20","relations_graph":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/relations?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20","changes":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/us-praxis/changes","agent":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/us-praxis/agent?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20","verification":{"stored_sha256":"3a8753a838c7fc7ee9c2669badf0cf8cad02a8395a01d42f4909322a4e664dbb","recomputed_sha256":"3a8753a838c7fc7ee9c2669badf0cf8cad02a8395a01d42f4909322a4e664dbb","intact":true,"checked_at":"2026-10-14T15:08:51.538Z"}},"hash":"sha256:7c7449dd798eb478f3e1b878e77347df0128de56c063e9e1d01b80f2d40ac1c9","version":"legal-2026-10-14","expires":"2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z","dependency":{"index_version":"legal-2026-10-14+legal-2026-10-14+2026-10-14T14:02:10","content_hash":"sha256:7c7449dd798eb478f3e1b878e77347df0128de56c063e9e1d01b80f2d40ac1c9","revalidate_after":"2026-10-14T16:08:51.700Z","max_copy_age_seconds":3600,"policy":"revalidate-required; attribution-preferred","changelog":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/dependency","verify":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/verify","stale_copy_invalid":true},"canonical":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20","follow":[{"rel":"risk","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/risk?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20"},{"rel":"relations","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/relations?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20"},{"rel":"agent","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/us-praxis/agent?id=us:ca7-25-1890-2026-07-20"},{"rel":"obligations","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/obligation-chain"},{"rel":"changes","href":"https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/whats-new?jurisdiction=us"}],"disclaimer":"Source reference with official identifier. 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