Mary Jane Jung filed a lawsuit against Hofstra University on July 29, claiming the institution failed to respond adequately when she suffered cardiac arrest during the July 2025 bar exam.
Jung, of Palisades Park, collapsed during the July 30, 2025 New York bar exam, gasping for air, crying out, losing consciousness, and turning blue in front of more than 600 fellow examinees.
The complaint alleges that CPR and an automated external defibrillator were not deployed quickly enough after Jung went into cardiac arrest at the Hofstra venue.
According to the complaint, proctors instructed candidates to continue working on the exam rather than halting proceedings to coordinate an emergency medical response.
The lawsuit states that “those who attempted to stand or assist were discouraged or admonished, and Plaintiff remained unconscious without the urgent intervention her condition demanded.”
Jung’s suit further alleges that Hofstra “failed to ensure that its personnel knew where the equipment was located, could access it immediately, were trained to use it, and would place human life ahead of the orderly continuation of an examination.”
The cardiac arrest resulted in a hypoxic injury, and Jung has since been diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation, requiring the surgical implantation of a defibrillator device.
Jung continues to experience memory loss and cognitive impairment as ongoing consequences of the incident, according to the complaint filed in the New York Court of Claims.
Hofstra denies any delays in its medical response, stating that its public safety officers began CPR and defibrillation immediately and continued until paramedics arrived on scene.
The reason the New York State Board of Law Examiners was not named in the Hofstra suit relates to Judiciary Law Section 56, which makes the Board a creature of the Court of Appeals and affords governmental entities significant protections over discretionary policy judgments.
A separate claim against the Board has been filed in the Court of Claims, according to information that emerged following the initial filing.
On the legislative front, the so-called Stop the Clock bill passed the State Senate on May 19, 2026, by a vote of 58 to 1, before being referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee where it has since stalled.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee is chaired by Charles Lavine, who wrote to the Board in August 2025 expressing deep concern that the emergency response had been “disorganized, delayed, and lacking in clear protocol.”
The sole vote against the bill came from State Senator Mark Walczyk, who apparently found grounds to oppose legislation that would instruct proctors to dial 911 during a medical emergency.
With broad legislative support behind the bill and more than a year having passed since the incident, questions persist over why the measure has not yet been signed into law.