Hofstra University is working to have
a lawsuit brought by a bar exam candidate dismissed, arguing it had no legal duty to provide first aid during the medical emergency, according to a Supreme Court filing last week.
The newest filing stems from a July 30, 2025, incident in which law student Mary Jane Jung, of Palisades Park, New Jersey, allegedly went into sudden cardiac arrest while taking the New York State Bar Exam at Hofstra.
Jung claimed in her lawsuit that proctors allowed the exam to continue for over 600 other test-takers while she lay unconscious, and that CPR and an AED were not provided quickly enough.
In its motion, Hofstra denies all allegations and said that while it's thankful she survived the medical emergency, "Hofstra did not owe a legal duty to provide any first aid assistance to the plaintiff."
Last month, the State Attorney General Leticia James also asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that Jung's claims "are entirely, demonstrably false" and disproven through surveillance video from two security cameras within Hofstra’s Mack Complex and written statements from two state employees.
James said Jung received assistance from at least one proctor responding to the situation immediately.
Jung alleges in the lawsuit the cardiac arrest caused a hypoxic brain injury, and she was later diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation and required the implantation of a defibrillator. She also claimed to suffer from memory loss and cognitive impairment.