Mary Jane Jung sues Hofstra University over response to her cardiac arrest during bar exam

The New Jersey woman who went into cardiac arrest during the bar exam last year at Hofstra University, where proctors declined to halt the test, has filed a lawsuit against the school, arguing it failed to provide her with immediate life-saving assistance.

Mary Jane Jung, 36, a Fordham Law School graduate from Palisades Park, filed suit against Hofstra on July 29 in State Supreme Court in Nassau County, making claims of negligence and negligent training and supervision and seeking undisclosed financial damages.

"We hope to see accountability through this lawsuit, and bring some closure of a traumatic and painful experience for our client," said Imran H. Ansari, Jung’s Manhattan-based attorney. "More importantly, Ms. Jung’s ordeal will resonate and effectuate change in the manner the test is administered and how those who host the test takers accommodate their needs, particularly in the event of a medical emergency."

Jung went into cardiac arrest shortly before the lunch break on July 30, 2025 — the second day of the state bar examination at Hofstra’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex — gasping for air, collapsing and turning blue in front of proctors, staff and hundreds of test takers, according to the lawsuit.

"Yet, emergency medical services were not promptly summoned, cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] was not promptly administered, and an automated defibrillator [AED] was not timely retrieved and deployed during the critical early minutes of plaintiff’s cardiac arrest," the filing states. "Instead, the examination continued. Candidates were instructed to keep working; those who attempted to stand or assist were discouraged or admonished and plaintiff remained unconscious without the urgent intervention her condition demanded."

Hofstra University, which previously said its emergency response team "acted swiftly and decisively to save [Jung's] life," did not respond to requests for comment from Newsday.

Hofstra maintained AED devices — used to revive individuals from cardiac arrest — on campus but failed to ensure that its public safety and emergency personnel knew where they were located, could access them immediately or were trained to use them, according to the lawsuit.

"The consequences were devastating," the lawsuit says. "The delay deprived plaintiff of timely oxygenation and defibrillation, increased the duration and severity of her cardiac arrest and substantially increased the risk of permanent neurological injury."

The New York State Board of Law Examiners, which did not respond to a request for comment and is not named in the suit, rents space from Hofstra for the exam.

The university has said it was not involved in the decision to keep going with the test, which is required to become a practicing attorney.

The Board of Law Examiners has previously defended its decision to continue with the exam.

A minute-by-minute timeline of the incident found that university security responded within 2½ minutes of Jung slumping over at her desk and 3½ minutes before the collection of test booklets before the 12:30 p.m. lunch break, Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, former senior associate judge of the state Court of Appeals and current chair of the Board of Law Examiners, said in a letter last year to Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove).

The lawmaker has criticized the response to the incident and has called on the board to detail changes made to their emergency protocols and procedures.

John McClary, the board's former executive director, told Newsday last year that "the test [had] never been halted for a medical incident" during his 20-year tenure with the board.

The lawsuit alleges that Jung began showing signs of medical distress around 12:20 p.m., with at least one test taker repeatedly waving his hand and urgently requesting medical assistance.

The proctors, who do not work for Hofstra, declined to halt the exam and admonished those who got out of their seats to help, the suit states.

The exam continued with Jung unconscious on the floor and even as university public safety officials rushed in to administer chest compressions and apply the AED, the complaint states.

Jung was taken by ambulance to Nassau University Medical Center, officials said.

The rest of the test takers returned to complete the exam after an abbreviated lunch break. There was no announcement about the incident or Jung's condition.

Jung, the suit states, suffered permanent and life-altering cardiac, neurological, cognitive, psychological, professional and economic injuries.

Newsday, meanwhile, reported in February that Hofstra, which has continued to host bar exams, will have "full authority" to act in future emergency situations.

An agreement with the Board of Law Examiners stipulates that Hofstra "shall have complete control over the personnel they provide for the event. They may direct personnel in the event space, as they see fit to provide a smooth experience at the event."

Assemb. Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, a Brooklyn Democrat, last year introduced the "Clock Should Stop Act," which provides "accommodations" for test takers affected by medical emergencies during the bar exam. The bill, which was referred to the Judiciary Committee, also would permit proctors to use cellphones during emergencies and then force an immediate pause of the exam.

Newsday's Maura McDermott contributed to this story.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.