A lawsuit filed in Nassau County alleges that proctors at Hofstra University ordered exam-takers to continue the New York State Bar Examination on July 30, 2025, as a 36-year-old woman collapsed and began to lose consciousness. The suit claims that Mary Jane Jung, of New Jersey, gasped for air, lost consciousness, and turned blue on the floor of the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
According to the court papers, the proctors refused to stop the test, delaying critical early medical intervention. Those who attempted to assist Jung were reportedly discouraged or admonished. The lawsuit states that emergency medical services were not immediately summoned, CPR was not promptly administered, and AED equipment was not deployed during the crucial initial minutes of her medical crisis.
Paramedics were only allowed to treat Jung after the exam concluded, the filing states. The alleged delay, according to the suit, allowed Jung's heart to stop pumping blood, leading to a brain injury that necessitated the later implantation of a defibrillator in her chest. Jung is seeking undisclosed financial damages.
Hofstra University has countered that its public safety officers provided CPR and other life-saving measures immediately after Jung's collapse until paramedics arrived. Carmen Beauchump Ciparick, chairperson of the Board of Law Examiners, stated that the university responded within two and a half minutes of Jung collapsing and three and a half minutes before the scheduled lunch break.
Jung, a graduate of Fordham Law School, is pursuing the lawsuit against the state and its Board of Law Examiners for accountability and to effectuate changes in how exams are administered and medical emergencies are handled. Hofstra University and the state Board of Law Examiners did not immediately respond to requests for comment.