NJ woman sues Hofstra over handling of her cardiac arrest during bar exam
"The emergency was neither subtle nor ambiguous," the lawsuit states. "Every lost minute mattered."
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A New Jersey woman who suffered a cardiac arrest while taking the New York State Bar Exam at Hofstra University is suing the school, alleging staff failed to provide timely emergency aid during the restrictive test.
According to a lawsuit filed last week, Mary Jane Jung, of Palisades Park, suffered a cardiac arrest during the July 30, 2025 bar exam at Hofstra University. The suit says she gasped for air, cried out, lost consciousness and turned blue in front of proctors, staff and over 600 hundred examinees.
"The emergency was neither subtle nor ambiguous," the lawsuit states. "Every lost minute mattered."
Jung claims CPR and an AED were not used quickly enough after she went into cardiac arrest. The lawsuit also alleges that because strict bar exam rules limit movement and communication, candidates relied on Hofstra personnel to coordinate emergency assistance.
The lawsuit says the exam continued while she remained unconscious and that candidates who tried to alert officials or seek emergency assistance were discouraged from intervening.
The suit further claims Hofstra did not summon 911 with the urgency the situation required and "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."
Jung says the delayed response left her with severe and permanent injuries.
The lawsuit claims the cardiac arrest was accompanied by hypoxic injury and since the incident she's been diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation, and needed the implantation of a defibrillator device. She also reportedly continues to experience memory loss and cognitive impairment.
Jung is seeking unspecified damages.
News 12 reached out to Hofstra for comment on the lawsuit but did not hear back yet.
